A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing
by dogzrock98
Summary: A loyal Seeker joins the Sway for research, but her life becomes more and more in danger as she learns the truth and realizes the meaning in her faction's motto. Eleven-part series. Published in the NT starting on issue #662.
1. Author's Note

Hey guys! Author here with a quick little note. So over a year ago, I came up with my first NT story idea that eventually evolved into a full blown series that got longer and longer and... eleven parts later, this little baby was born. :) I'll be uploading parts whenever I can, but I'm super busy so I can't promise that I'll be consistent about it (sorry). Anyway, I really hope you like it! Let me know if you do in the comments or my PM'ing me, I love to receive constructive feedback (I shouldn't have to tell you guys no flaming, right?).

Also, this is mostly about the War for the Obelisk Skirmishes, so if you don't know about them/ weren't there for the event/ whatever, you might want to read up on them on TDN, Jellyneo or Sunnyneo because otherwise this series won't make any sense. Just sayin.'


	2. Part 1

ierra wove her way through the maze of carts and kiosks in the Sakhmetan square. She locked her eyes on a dark, beige cloaked figure, the figure almost blending in with the sand in the shadows. The brown Xweetok picked up her pace a little as she followed it. The hooded figure noticed her, too, and swiftly sprinted away.

_"Hey! You get back here!"_ she managed to shout. The figure sharply turned into an alley. She ran after it, and tackled it once in the alley. The yellow Acara pushed back, struggling, but Sierra kept a firm grasp on his cloak, her fluffy tail wrapped around his ankle as she snatched the bag of neopoints back from the Acara's possession. He got up as Sierra began to walk away.

"Give that back! It's mine now!" he growled. He shoved her in an attempt to snatch the pouch back, making her stumble.

"No, it's not!" She whirled around and pushed him up against the alley wall. He struggled, but he could not get through her firm grip.

"Yeah, it is! It's my job to relieve wealthy, selfish pets like you of unnecessary Neopoints, which can get _very_ heavy."

"But it's my job to protect and regain what's rightfully mine, you meathead," she retaliated. The Acara could only watch as she shoved him away and walked off in a huff.

She strode back out into the square, stuffing the bag of Neopoints deeper into her leather crossbody satchel. Sierra brushed the sand off of her white tunic and shorts. She turned to find Lily, her best friend, running up to her.

"Hi." The green Shoyru greeted her with a hug. "What just happened?"

"Hey. Another one of those street urchins tried to steal my Neopoints again. I got them back though, like I usually do." Sierra sighed. "That's the second time this month!"

"Aww, that's too bad! I'm glad you got your NP back, though," Lily said. "You know, the street urchins were once affiliated with the Thieves Guild." The two began walking towards Lily's owner's cart, as usual.

"Really? That's reason number... eleven, I think why I didn't join them initially, then."

"What was reason number one again?"

"They broke into my house and stole my typewriter, as well as lots of other stuff."

"Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that." Lily cringed.

"Anyway, any word on this skirmish's factions? They weren't out when I left for school today, and I didn't go home before hopping on the rickshaw to come here."

"Yeah, the Daily Memo came out a little late today. The Oracle called the Sway, the Order and the Awakened." Sierra was disappointed upon hearing that the Seekers were not an option this time around to fight for the obelisk. "C'mon, I have it at the cart." Lily motioned for her to follow.

They walked over to the cart, and were warmly greeted by by Lily's owner, Erick.

"Hello, Sierra! Good to see you again!" He smiled and handed them each a tchea fruit and a bottle of water. "I brought you a snack."

"Oh, thank you so much!" She smiled back, and took the food.

"Yeah, thanks, Dad!" Lily added, biting into her fruit. "So," she turned to Sierra. "Which faction are you going to join, since the Seekers aren't a part of this skirmish? I'm staying loyal to the Order, no doubt."

She thought for a moment as she continued to eat her snack. "I'm not sure. I might sit this one out, but you know how much I love battling, especially for a cause such as this. I might join you with the Order, but with all due respect for Rasala, I want to maintain my loyalty. Speaking of the Seekers, I'm visiting the University of Brightvale this Saturday for a tour. We might be able to catch the Professor at his office in the Scholar's Library there, and I think his adorable niece Katie will be visiting this weekend as well. Want to join me?" She turned to Erick. "If that's alright with you."

"Yes, of course!" he replied, and turned to Lily. "If you would like to go, just be home by six."

"I'd love to! I've never been to the University before." She smiled.

"Great!" Sierra said. She checked the time on her watch. "Well, I have to go now, so I'll see you then! Bye!" Lily waved in reply as she walked back to the Uni Rickshaw station, picking up some supplies on the way. She collapsed on the living room sofa when she returned home, simply glad that the day was over, and vaguely wondering which faction to pick.

_Sierra._

She whipped around and set her book down onto her bed. What was that? She wondered. She pulled back the curtains, only to see her scraggly reflection with big, fearful brown eyes. Beyond it, there was only a lone, dim street lamp that struggled to light the black abyss of darkness in the secluded neighborhood.

_Sierra, help us._

She turned around again as she heard the voice once more. She sighed nervously, her breath shaking.

_I'm just being paranoid; it's probably nothing,_ she thought, and climbed back into bed. She turned off her lamp, letting the darkness consume her bedroom as she drifted off to sleep.

Voices. So many voices drifting in her head, invading her dreams, her thoughts, her mind.

_Come to us, Sierra._

_The Sway needs you._

_You are a valuable asset to our society._

She saw the Duchess in a large room, playing chess among the exquisite grandeur, almost like the promotional video that was aired before the war. She was levitated, and was being pulled towards the Duchess by some magical force.

_We know exactly who you are. You can become great and powerful, a battling legend. But only if you join the Sway. The other factions don't recognize this in you._ The room shook as the Duchess slammed down a chess pawn onto a square. She watched as the pawn immediately transformed into a stately, powerful queen, glaring at her before disappearing from her field of view. Sierra felt a shiver run down her spine.

_You could even change history. That's how much potential you have._

She opened her mouth to shout, but no sound came out. The Duchess looked at her in the eye and gave her a thin, sinister smile. Sierra glanced around for an escape, but there was none.

_You must join us. You don't have a choice now. There is no breaking free from us. Nothing escapes us for a reason._

Sierra woke with a start. She was trembling, breath shaky, the voices continuing to echo faintly in her mind. Her frightened eyes darted around the room.

"Just a dream," she barely managed to whisper. "It's only just dream." She slowly lay back down and checked her clock. She groaned as she noticed it read five o'clock am. She climbed out of bed, realizing that it was pointless to go back to sleep, since she would have to wake in an hour. It wouldn't have been possible for her to, anyway. She changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants, quickly filled out the Faction Application Form on her desk, then snuck outside to stuff it in the mailbox. She dashed back inside, completing her unfinished homework and preparing for yet another hectic day.

She set her bag down next to her desk with a thud at her first class, Neopian History. Sierra sat alone in the front, as usual, at her two-seat desk. As her teacher began talking, she took a few notes, but her usually attentive mind wandered. _What was with that dream last night?_ she wondered, gazing around the classroom. She vaguely wondered what her friends would say, then she remembered that they would probably ignore her, and would continue fangirling over Kanrik, attempting to convince her to join the Thieves Guild and lamenting over how it wasn't a choice this time. She normally would have been more tolerant, but it was pretty much the only thing they ever talked about.

"What's the point of swooning over a celebrity, let alone a _criminal _celebrity? I really don't understand this," she would tell them, time and time again.

The usual response would be, "Oh, but he's so handsome! By the way, you should _totally_join the Thieves Guild next time! You'll be able to see him every _single_ day-"

"For the bajillionth time, I am not joining that bunch of scoundrels! You already know that! Ugh, you guys are hopeless," she would usually exclaim, and would simply stay silent while half-eavesdropping on the gossip of the day, half wondering what Lily would do.

Her daydream was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. She turned to find the admissions director leading a tall Shadow Kyrii into the classroom.

"Hi everyone! This is Damien, and he just moved from Meridell! He'll be joining this class today. Why don't you find a seat?"

"There's a spot open next to Sierra," her teacher stated.

She froze. She hated talking to people she didn't know, and she felt uneasy about sitting next to this guy, with his eyes plastered to his black shoes. He sat down next to her, and Sierra awkwardly attempted a smile while he set his black backpack on the ground. He looked at her for a moment, his icy blue eyes piercing her brown ones, but his cold expression didn't change as he took out his notebook and pencils. The teacher continued writing on the board. She noticed that all of his things were black, save for the hints of purple and red from the Darigan Citadel Altador Cup logos on his pens and keychains. His dyed, jet black mane glimmered from the sunlight emanating through the windows.

"Hi."

He didn't respond, so she tried a different tactic.

"I think it's pretty cool that you support Darigan Citadel. Would you like to use my pencil sharpener?"

"No."

"Uh, okay then," she replied, now a little intimidated by his hostile response.

She knew it was going to be a long day.

"It's finally Saturday," she sighed, glad that the previous day had passed without too much chaos that usually accompanied Neoschool despite the arrival of the strange, withdrawn Kyrii. She grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down at the kitchen table when Isobel, her owner, appeared on the stairs. "Morning, Sierra! What's up? You're awake early!"

"Hey, Isobel," she replied, grabbing a glass of orange juice for herself and coffee for her owner. "Couldn't sleep again last night. And before you ask, I'm not wearing this to Brightvale."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," she chuckled as Sierra handed her the mug of coffee. Her two younger brothers tumbled unceremoniously down the stairs, chasing each other around the house until they crashed into the sofa. They grinned sheepishly at Sierra when they noticed her walking into the living room with her paws on her hips. "Hi Sierra," Zane, a red Kacheek and her middle brother, grinned guiltily.

"Alright you goofballs, let's go get breakfast. And don't chase each other around the house again like that, you could break something or get hurt."

"Or run into the couch again?" Tyler chimed in.

"Exactly." Sierra tickled her youngest brother, and the baby Gelert squealed playfully. They all sat down at the kitchen table.

"Now, remember, Sierra," Isobel began between sips of coffee. "Be home by eight, make sure you and Lily stay together, be polite to everyone, leave with enough neopoints-"

"... So I can properly pay the Unis, right," Sierra finished. "We've been through this a countless number of times, Isobel. I'm fifteen. I've got this."

Isobel stared at her coffee and nodded. "Okay."

"I guess I'd better get ready to go, then."

The rickshaw trip to Brightvale was an unusually short one, and she breathed in the fresh air with a smile on her face. She began walking to the University behind the castle, wandering into the various stores, buying a snack and couple of books along the way. She found Lily waiting for her near the University's main entrance, the huge double doors looming over them.

"Hey, Sierra." Lily hugged her.

"Hi Lily! What's up?" She hugged her back.

"Not much, really. I'm excited for this tour, though, and visiting Brightvale in general. Oh, and I signed up for the Order yesterday, and I get to miss school for the pre-battle faction meeting on Monday. What about you?"

"I've decided which faction I'm joining, and I don't think you're going to like it."

Acknowledgements from the NT Submission:

_I first want to thank my best friend and my wonderful editor-in-chief, roaringtiger_1998, for making this series possible and being there from the idea's conception, providing every kind of help possible from editing and name help to figuring out how to fix plot holes. I also want to thank liouchan, parody_ham, thedoggirl_97, and everyone else in the JCW; professor_lambert and the Seekers, and everyone else who helped me with the series. All of you have been so supportive and I couldn't have done it without you! :)_

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed reading part one. Lots more on the way! :)


	3. Part 2

"I... I'm..." Sierra hesitated. "Please don't hate me for this."

"Don't be ridiculous! You know I could never hate you! You're my best friend, for Fyora's sake!" Lily assured her indignantly.

Sierra took a deep breath. "I'm joining... the Sway."

"You're _what?"_ Lily stared at her in shock. "I, I don't understand! You said that you want to stay loyal to the Seekers, and now you're joining a faction that you know nothing about? This is so... unlike you!"

"Whoa, Lily, calm down," Sierra was partially expecting her reaction. She lowered her voice as they entered the main lobby of the university's admissions building. "That's why I'm joining, to find out for myself. As an insider I might have at least some information at my disposal, that I can leak to the Seekers and, with your co-operation, to the Order. Think about it, Lily. I know what I'm doing. Remember the phrase, 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?' That's what I'm doing."

Lily sighed nervously. "Alright. I sure hope you do," She hesitated. "Just don't drag me into this too much. Are you going to tell the Professor?"

"Yes, after the tour I'll swing by his office and see if he's there."

A portly blue Bruce walked up to them. "Good day, ladies. Which one of you is Sierra?"

"Good day, sir, I am. My friend here will be accompanying me."

"Right. I'm Arthur, and I will be your tour guide for today. Right this way, please, and we shall begin our tour in the Economics department."

"This is the Main Library. The East Wing library, to your right, and the West Wing library both house the Seekers." They walked in, with Lily marveling at the thousands of books stored on shelves at least two stories high. "All three of the libraries combined form the largest library in all of Neopia, with the Altadorian Library and Archives in second place." A pink Gnorbu in an unmistakable purple suit was walking across the library carrying books.

"Good day, Professor Lambert," the Bruce said.

He turned around, and set his books down on a desk. "Ah, good day, Arthur." He turned to Sierra. "Good day, Sierra, it is good to see you again." He shook her paw. "Will you be visiting the library again at the end of the tour?"

"It's good to see you again, too, Professor. Yes, I will be. May I ask why?"

"The Scholar's Council meeting will be held in the Library by the time you finish your tour so it would otherwise be closed to visitors, but I would like to let you know you are free to visit the library for as long as you like."

Thank you! I may look for some books for my next research paper while I'm there," Sierra smiled. "By the way, this is my good friend Lily, and she is a member of the Order of the Red Erisim. Lily, this is Professor Lambert, who is the leader of the Seekers as you already know."

"How do you do, Lily? It's a pleasure to meet you. I wish you well with your upcoming battles and studies."

"Thank you, Professor, it's a pleasure to meet you as well." They shook paws.

"Well, I believe we need to continue on with the tour, sir, so we must depart now. Have a good day, sir," Arthur interrupted.

"And to you as well. Good day to you all!" The professor cheerily picked up his books and continued to the other side of the library.

"Has he always been that familiar with you?" Lily asked.

"He's like that with almost everyone. He's got quite the memory, being able to remember everyone's names and specialties like he does."

"Which research paper number are you on to now?"

"Number three. The first one took me two years to write, though."

"I remember that."

"Do you want to get some lunch when we're done with the tour? There's a cute little cafe just outside of the University. I can show you around a bit once we're done, if you'd like."

"Sure, that sounds good!"

"Attention, fellow scholars!" Professor Lambert announced. "All of you should know why I convoked you all to this meeting. We have much to discuss regarding our strategy development for the upcoming skirmishes. Since we have not been called on by the Oracle, we once again have time to make further preparations. How shall we go about this, my friends? Before we start, however, I would like to inform you that this is Sierra Hardingson, a fellow member. Even though the library is officially closed, I have made an exception for her and a few other members who shall arrive later for their project research.

"Thank you again, Professor. It's nice to meet you all."

"Now, do we have any contributions?"

An awkward silence filled the room, before the scholars began murmuring among themselves.

One scholar spoke up. "We have been studying the various factions a little, but we need to analyze their tactics more, and continue to take advantage of our vast resources here and from libraries elsewhere. After all, the best way to defeat an enemy is to know their strengths, and attack their weaknesses. If we combine this knowledge with the reports and articles compiled by our members, then we may be able to lose our reputation of being cannon fodder."

"A most excellent idea, Henry. Anyone else?"

"However, there is a slight problem with that," another scholar argued. "You see, there is little information on the Sway in any archive, as to what their intentions are. They claimed the obelisk first, so they are the biggest threat to us in comparison to the other factions, if we do not pay attention to the ratios of members joining each faction that are posted in various public polls or the unpredictability of whom the Oracle chooses. They are able to hide nearly everything about them, with the exception of the mandatory Neopedia article and introduction video. What alternative do you propose, ladies and gentlemen?"

The scholars began to murmur in agreement.

Sierra brushed her fingers along the books, too distracted by the meeting to do any research. Her gaze was pulled to the scholars seated with their cups of tea around several round tables pulled together with Professor Lambert at one end.

"Espionage," Sierra blurted before she could stop herself. The room silenced and was looking at her in surprise. She felt her face turn bright red.

"What was that, Sierra?" Lambert cued her to explain.

"Espionage." She paused. "Um, what I was thinking was that, um, one of us will temporarily join the Sway and-"

"Absolutely not!" one scholar announced. A murmur rose among them.

"Please let me finish! We're not fighting this time, and they are. Isn't this the perfect research opportunity? One of us could join, and as an insider that person could befriend some of the members and learn so much about them and how they operate. Think about it." Sierra moved out of the aisles so all of the members could see her.

"The issue here isn't that we are against joining other factions for research purposes; many of our own have done that in the past. It's just the issue of joining the Sway."

"There are rumors that traitorous members have been disappearing," a scholar on the other side of the table said gravely.

The murmur disappeared completely, creating an eerie, tense silence.

"I beg your pardon?" Even Lambert's voice was on edge.

"One of our own joined the Sway a little while back, following a hunch. After joining the Sway's fighting forces twice and regularly indirectly sending us coded messages on his findings and progress, he sent us a message that his hunch was entirely true and he thought that they were on to him. We never heard from him after that message, and he was officially listed as missing four days later."

Lambert scowled and rose his voice. "How come I was not informed of this, Hawes?"

"Well, he informed us at the time that in order to maintain the operation he swore the four of us that were involved to secrecy. I would have told you if I was allowed. The only reason I'm saying this now is because I don't want the same mistake to be made again."

"What did he find out?" Sierra asked before an argument could proceed.

"He told us that they are lying when they claim that they are working for the greater good of Neopia. There's something else completely. Apart from telling us that the Duchess is, and I quote, 'a control freak' and that when there's an event going on, their agents are always there, he didn't tell us much else, not even what he thought they were up to."

"We need to find out."

"We're not going to send in another agent! The risks are too great," another scholar argued. Lambert shot him a look to be quiet.

"But... Think of what we could learn! If we learn this about them, it will allow us to fully understand them and thus able to defeat them, not only regarding the Obelisk but in whatever they're doing," Sierra exclaimed.

"It's true, the Sway is the faction we should be the most concerned about in our quest to obtain the obelisk, even after all this time," Hawes offered.

"But who will we send?" a scholar asked.

"I'll do it," Sierra spoke up, gaining some gasps and surprised looks.

"But... Why?" one asked.

"We can't afford to lose anyone, much less you, Sierra," Lambert said.

"You won't lose me, I promise. Also, all of us must always remember something we've been saying since before the discovery of the Obelisk: knowledge is power. They know more than we do, are always there right when events start, supposedly manipulating them - how do they know that the events were going to happen or the consequences of their actions in the first place? If we know what they know, we can be just as powerful as they are, if not even more powerful. If I don't do this now, then when will our next chance be? They might do whatever their plan is by the next possible opportunity."

"...Alright, then," Lambert said reluctantly, sipping his tea. "Meeting called to recess. Please return in fifteen minutes."

Sierra turned to leave the library with the scholars when she spotted a small yellow Kacheek walking into the library, tinkering with a miniature version of Tiny, her robot. "Katie!"

Katie looked up and grinned. "Sierra!" She smiled, and ran up to her for a big hug.

"How's my adorable genius?"

"Great! I'm working on a model of Tiny to figure out how to make him more energy efficient, as usual, but I'm also trying to repair his defense system, replacing some parts so he is more aerodynamic, but can better defend himself and me during the upcoming skirmishes. I'm just trying to figure exactly how to do this."

"Wow. Very cool!" Sierra was always amazed by the accomplishments of this little girl. She watched her deeply concentrated face as she took apart the model and put it back together again with ease, replacing and moving various parts, checking their functionality, then replacing more parts, pushing her large round glasses back to the bridge of her nose every so often.

"Did you hear what I was saying over there during the meeting?"

Katie shook her head innocently.

"Well... I'm temporarily joining the Sway for..."

Katie's interested expression morphed into shock and dismay. "...What? ...Why?"

Sierra crouched down and placed a paw on her shoulder. "Katie, Katie, listening to me. This is only temporary, I'm not leaving forever. You know I'd never do that."

Katie nodded, still visibly upset.

"I'm only going there for some research. I'll be back here a lot, and who knows, maybe I'll need your help on some things. Everything's going to be alright."

Katie smiled a little. "Okay." She paused, then looked up at her with big eyes. "Are you scared?"

"Scared of what?"

"Joining the Sway. We don't know how dangerous they are."

"No." _I can't let her or them know... No, I'm not scared. I'm not going to be scared. I won't let myself be._ "Well, I need to go now, but I'll see you again later this week. Bye!" She gave Katie one last hug.

"Bye, Sierra. Do you want me to neomail you a photo of Tiny when it's finished?"

"Sure!" She smiled as she walked out of the library, and to the tiny artist's cafe where Lily was waiting.

"Hey, how'd it go? You were in there for a while."

"I wasn't able to get much research done, but I told the council, the professor and then Katie about my plan. None of them were happy about it at first, but eventually they agreed to let me go."

"That's good. I got you a sandwich and an iced tea."

"Thanks."

Sierra stepped off the rickshaw and paid the Unis on Monday evening at the Neovian station. She carefully brushed the crumbs from her bagel off of her black skirt and her emerald green, long-sleeved blouse as she walked through the poorly light path to Neovia. She looked around the dark, gloomy setting around her, watching dressed-up Neovians walking in the main square, and wondered if she was dressed appropriately. She took out the address out of her jacket pocket, and walked over a seemingly abandoned mansion just outside of the main square. She showed her papers to the silent gatekeeper, who let her through. She knocked on the front door with the huge knocker twice, and a blue Blumaroo's face appeared through a sliding panel.

"Name and business?"

"Sierra Hardingson, Sway member applicant."

The huge door creaked loudly as it swung open. Everyone inside was dressed to the nines, which worried Sierra.

"Good evening, sir. Um... Am I dressed appropriately for this interview?"

"Good evening, miss," The Blumaroo paused. "While you are not dressed in Her Ladyship's preferred Neovian attire, I believe that what you are wearing is adequate."

She winced slightly at the word "adequate." Very well then, thank you. Where exactly do I need to go?"

He motioned to a well-dressed white Pteri walking down the hallway. "Martha, will you show this young lady to the testing lobby?"

Martha eyed Sierra disdainfully. "Of course, sir." She silently led Sierra down a long hallway, and opened a door at the end of it. _Testing lobby?_

"Thank you." Sierra nodded to her as she walked through, but the Pteri did not respond, closing the door behind Sierra. A quiet, echoing murmur filled the room as she wandered among the various clumped Neopets to reach the sign up counter. The room resembled a ball room with black marble floors and columned arches edged with gold around the many doors.

"Good evening. You must be Sierra Hardingson?" The Lupe kept his eyes glued to his papers before looking up at her blankly.

"Yes, I am. How... did you know?"

"We just know." He pulled out her form and wrote something on it. "You have been associated with the Seekers in the past, correct?"

Sierra tensed, her mind desperately searching for a way out. "Yes, that is correct, but, um, not very actively." She held back a smirk as a thought came to mind. "Some of the battlers here may have seen me quite a lot fighting for them, but I'm not so sure about whether I should stay loyal to the Seekers or not," she lied. "That's why I'm joining the Sway, since I might like this faction better." _See? I got this._

"I see." The Lupe wrote down more notes on her form. "The session will begin in ten minutes, where you will go to the third door on your far right," He pointed to show her. "Good evening."

"Good evening," Sierra replied. She walked away from the counter, and looked around to admire the many paintings on the wall, some of them of the Duchess. She saw a flash of black, and did a double take. She found Damien staring straight at her, the shadow Kyrii's icy blue gaze causing her to tense up for a moment. _It's you again! I wonder what you're doing here,_ she wondered silently, breaking the eye contact. She jumped when she found him standing next to her a few seconds later.

"Oh, good evening, you startled me there. So, uh, you're joining the Sway, too?"

"Obviously I am," he replied with that same cold, unwavering tone. "I am already a member, but I have to take one of the tests. People like you usually have to take up to four."

"Okay, then. What do the tests entail?"

"Can't tell you. They can vary."

"Oh." She paused before asking, "So, um, how are you liking school so far? Was your first day of school alright?"

"Yes, it's alright."

"That's good."

Damien nodded a little. He fiddled with his muted red tie, contrasting against his all-black suit.

"So, what did you think of Meridell?"

"Didn't like it very much."

"Really? How come?"

"I prefer Darigan Citadel. We lived very close to it, and I went to school there."

"Oh, so that's why you support Darigan Citadel for the cup. I support Brightvale. Your team did quite well this year compared to mine."

"Yeah."

"So... I guess you like it here in Neovia as well?"

"Yeah."

A clock bell rang out all of a sudden, and everyone began shuffling towards various doors around the room.

"Well, I guess we have to go now. Good evening, and good luck!" Sierra said.

"If luck exists, then you'll need it." She contemplated his words as she walked over to her allocated door. She stepped through it, and found that a few other pets were there as well.

"Miss Hardingson?" someone asked. She turned to find a yellow Eyrie behind her.

"Yes, that's me," she replied, and followed her into a smaller, completely white room. The Eyrie shut the door, and they both took a seat facing each other.

"So, Sierra," she began. "I understand that you have been associated with the Seekers in the past."

"That is correct, madam."

"And is this switch temporary or permanent?"

"I haven't decided yet," Sierra lied. "I will decide once this skirmish round is over."

"Where do you go to neoschool?"

"I go to Neopia Central High, North."

"Right." The Eyrie paused." What level are you in your training?"

Sierra frowned. "Why is this relevant?"

She thought she saw the Eyrie nodding slightly to her response. "You will learn who to question and who not to. I am the latter."

"Oh, I'm sorry, madam. I'm level 91."

"That's quite alright, but don't expect others here to be as forgiving." She thumbed through her notebook in her lap. "Anyway, what is your goal in life? What are you hoping to achieve?"

"To go to the University of Brightvale, and to get my papers into the Neopian Times. I haven't really thought about anything beyond that."

"Oh really? And what are you planning to study there?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet, but I'm thinking about something related to battle technology or weaponry."

"Very interesting. Any particular reason for this?"

"It's... been a hobby of mine for a while."

"I see. What is the topic of your essay?"

"The first one's a weaponry combination and battle strategy analysis report. The second is a report on the different types of weapons and how they can be used in different battle situations."

"Seems a bit odd considering you are a former Seeker."

"Well, I've never been one to follow the mainstream very closely."

"Alright, then. Who do you trust the most?"

This was a no-brainer for Sierra. "My owner and my best friend."

"Right." The Eyrie took some notes, then pulled out a red, rectangular device. "I just need to place your arm under this scanner and stamper for me, please-"

Sierra suddenly bolted from her seat and dashed over to the white wall closest to her, loudly knocking her chair over. "What, are you crazy? That's a Convertible Virtublaster S-500! You press that yellow button and it converts into a maximum power stunner that could knock me out for 24 hours! You can't fool me with that thing!"

The Eyrie cocked an interested eyebrow. "If I can't, then take it, have a look." She handed Sierra the unconverted blaster. "Tell me, then, what year is it from?"

Sierra carefully inspected the red device, running her paws over its surface. "Mind if I convert it? I promise I won't use it."

"Not at all, the stun feature has been disabled, anyway."

She pressed the button, and the red device turned into a red and yellow blaster. "Year thirteen."

"And why is that?"

"Because the shape reveals this design is one of the older ones, but it has the ability to be disabled if you press the button underneath its core power system. This specific model first became available in Year thirteen."

"Very well done." The Eyrie almost cracked a smile. "How do you know all this?"

"Oh, uh, I've read quite a few books on the subject. Like I said earlier, weaponry and battle strategy are quite interesting to me," Sierra fibbed, knowing full well that she would not tell the Eyrie the truth.

"I see." She looked up at the white wall for a few seconds, then nodded as if she saw a signal through the wall. "Well, that's all for right now, Sierra. Good evening. Please make your way back to the lobby and go to the fourth door to your left to the weapons use testing."

"Thank you, madam, and good evening."

They both walked out of the room, and the Eyrie stopped next to one of her colleagues. "That's her alright. She's good," she whispered, and her colleague nodded.

Sierra smirked triumphantly.

So I may have left Neopets for a year, returned part time, and completely forgot that I didn't upload the rest of this story on here. Yikes.


	4. Part 3

The Crokabek squawked loudly on her mailbox, making Sierra jump. She paused from her gardening work and took the letter from the black bird's claws, eyeing the bird suspiciously.

"Thank you, now shoo!" She swished the air with her paws, and the Crokabek flew away with a displeased screech. Her eyes widened when she saw the zagged "S" seal wrapped around the letter. She hastily opened it, and read its contents.

_Dear Sierra Rose Hardingson,_

_This letter has been delivered to inform you that you have been accepted into my clandestine league, the Sway. The new member initiation meeting shall be held tonight at 6 o'clock at the mansion. Attendance is mandatory. Battles will commence in three days' time. You may use this letter to be accepted in the future, and I fully expect that you will choose to stay with us. Congratulations, and on behalf of the Sway, I look forward to your contributions to our society._

_Your Ladyship, The Duchess_

_P.S. Don't be late._

Sierra grinned, and ran back into the house to show her family, and to send Lily a Neomail. Her plan was working.

"Good evening, everyone, and congratulations on your acceptance." Everyone applauded politely at Lord Norheim's, whom Sierra recognized under the alias of Cunning Mastermind, words. "In your work here, you will be paired with an existing member of the Sway to act as your mentor, and to guide and help you with your missions. When you are not battling, you will be either here or conducting your missions throughout Neopia. For those who are attending and will be missing school, I have already informed your respective schools about your excused absence, and you will get an extra window of downtime to take your exams. All of you will get enough time to continue your training at the Krawk Island Academy or the Mystery Island Training School." Several relieved sighs were heard from around the room, including from Sierra. Lord Norheim continued to fill them in on the expectations of the Sway. "Now, remember, if you have any special skills, or intensive knowledge on anything that could be useful to us, you are required to inform us, to ensure the success of the Sway. We do not take defeat lightly, and there was a reason the Sway won the first battle against all of the factions."

Sierra froze, attempting to keep her nonchalant yet attentive façade. She would be in serious trouble if anyone found out her position in the Seekers, and that she knew more than they thought she did about weapons. She glanced around the room, glad to see that she hadn't attracted any unwanted attention.

"We shall now go to the existing members' meeting room, where you will be assigned a mentor." Everyone shuffled out of the room into the hallway, leading to a much larger room with a huge conference table. There was an empty chair next to each person seated. Sierra and the rest of the new recruits lined up against the wall. "Let the initiation begin." The Duchess's words made everyone shiver as they echoed throughout the room, but no one could see her. A red Draik began reading the names off the list, and one by one the new recruits began sitting down next to a member. "Sierra Hardingson, Damien Valius." Sierra sat down next to the Shadow Kyrii, avoiding his infamous icy glare the entire time. They sat in silence as the rest of the newcomers were seated.

The lights snapped off. Lord Norheim handed out plain, black rings to all the new members, one by one. Once Sierra put hers on, it began to glow white in a jagged 'S' insignia inside a triangle. Sierra instinctively pulled her hand back. She watched the symbol glow brighter and brighter with wide eyes.

"Don't worry about, it, you're fine. See?" She turned, to find Damien smiling faintly, something that she thought was impossible for him. She noticed his ring glowing in the same way, and saw that everyone's rings were glowing as well. Damien and the rest of the older members raised their ring hand, paw, hoof or claw up toward the center of the room, and their rings' glow connected to make a spiderweb of white. The new members lifted their rings up after them. The white, glowing spider web was glowing brighter and brighter with each ring raised, lighting up the room eerily. Sierra watched the flickering web in awe. The glow remained for a minute, then slowly died down. Everyone began pulling their rings back, making the glowing subside faster. Sierra stared at her ring, the Sway insignia now engraved into her ring. She moved her paw back and forth slightly and noticed that two triangles lit up and disappeared again repeatedly, like neopoint bills under a blacklight. Her paw hovered over it, and noticed that the top was still hot.

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you," Damien remarked.

"You don't say!" Sierra replied facetiously.

"Congratulations, everyone, you all are now officially members of the Sway. Once again, remember that tomorrow you will begin your training and missions at 11 am. Good evening," Lord Norheim announced. The lights snapped on again. Everyone began shuffling out of the room. Sierra rushed out, hoping to get home as soon as possible. She was going to have long day ahead of her.

Sierra arrived at the mansion headquarters the next day, relieved that she was on time. She walked into the meeting room and sat down with the rest of the members. The white Pteri, Martha, was assigning everyone to separate training areas. After a few minutes, Sierra was the last one in the room. "Now, Sierra. Something happened in your interview that is of particular interest us."

"It's my reaction to the convertible blaster, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

Sierra shrugged. "It's merely an assumption."

"I see. Anyway, you must come with me. Your knowledge on weaponry will prove to be useful for us. I have something I need to show you. You will not be receiving any training and will be going directly to your job."

"But really, Martha, I don't know as much as you apparently think I do. It's only a hobby. I'm not even close to becoming a professional with merely a generalized high school education."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, of course I am." Sierra tensed at Martha's suspicion.

"Very well, then. Follow me." She walked out of the room, and Sierra nearly had to jog to keep up. They winded through the endless hallways until they reached a door with a large sign reading, 'No Unauthorized Access.' Martha knocked sharply, then unlocked the door. She ushered Sierra inside before closing the door behind them. Desks lined the walls of the dimly lit room, with spotlights on the desks, the grey walls covered with posters in a code Sierra did not recognize, and the the wooden crates stacked high against the back wall. "We are taking a slightly different approach to our weapons arrangement, since we lost the last couple of rounds we participated in."

Sierra inspected the labels on one of the many boxes in the room. "I've noticed that you have a lot of the same weapons in bulk."

"We try to buy the weapons that we are familiar with and that we know are effective. Buying them in bulk is much cheaper than buying them as we need them."

"Right, but wouldn't it be best to explore different options? Not necessarily now, but perhaps when we have not been chosen by the Oracle you could select a team to investigate some alternatives to the weapons that you already use within certain damage and price ranges." She looked at some of the other labels on the boxes. "Also, try to find weapons that deal out a good deal of fire, since they are the hardest to block. I don't see very many of those kinds of weapons." She cocked her head as a few of the labels caught her eye.

_Name: Ghostkerbomb_

_Qty: 50_

_Shipment #: 23K90F_

_Name: Radioactive Muffin_

_Qty: 400_

_Shipment #: 78W21D_

_Name: Thick Smoke Bomb_

_Qty: 250_

_Shipment #: 98O16T_

"You have a lot of one-use explosives in stock. You shouldn't store them so close together, especially since they're still in their transport crates and not prepared for short-term or long-term storage. Why do you have so many of them anyway? It's good to have some of them on hand, but your budget should be more focused on the multi-use weapons."

Martha nodded. "Thank you, I will forward your ideas on to the committee."

Sierra gave her a surprised look. "Uh, okay!"

"You wrote an analytical paper on weaponry combinations last year, correct?"

"How do you know this...?"

"Just answer my question."

"Well, yes, I wrote it for the school magazine's Article Series Challenge. I submitted it to the Neopian Times, but it was rejected."

"I would like for you to edit it, add the weapons from this survey-" Martha handed her a manila folder, "-and bring it to me before three pm tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

They proceeded further into the room, where a giant, black curtain covered most of the wall. Martha sat down at one of the tables close to it. Sierra noticed a flash of red as Martha hurriedly turned over a large sheet of paper on the desk next to a ruler. She was tempted to think nothing of it when a beige spot peeking out from the curtain caught her eye. She walked over to it as nonchalantly as she could, and took a closer look. There were some red and black ink markings just barely visible, and what appeared to be a scale. Silently blowing on the curtain while carefully hiding her lips by scratching her nose confirmed her hypothesis, and also showed more red and black markings. _Maps?_ The paper Martha turned over must have been a map, as well.

"What's that map on the table for?"

Martha shot her a suspicious glare.

"Um... Okay then, I guess I'm not supposed to ask that."

"We use them for helping our members navigate prior to missions. We mark the locations of our various... sources, as well as various items that we must acquire." Sierra tried to hide her cringe.

"Am I allowed to know who the sources are?"

"No, but they reside all over Neopia, watching, ready to report to us even the most seemingly insignificant events. We've helped out with every major event in Neopia, making sure that order and peace is restored. It's the most effective way of doing so."

"So spying on everything and everyone is the most effective way to get the Obelisk?"

"Winning is in the best interest of the Sway, and it is in the best interest of Neopia, believe it or not! Things will be better in the long run if we obtain the obelisk!"

"And what will you do with it if it comes into your power?"

"You have no idea-" Martha attempted to interject, but Sierra felt that she had to continue.

"You have no means to protect it from others, and what will you do with all the power and knowledge that emanates from it? What about the Oracle-"

_"That is none of your concern!"_ Martha yelled, fuming.

"Of course it is my concern, I'd like to know about what cause I am working for! If I am able to have access to a restricted access location, surely I-"

Martha grabbed her shoulders. "You are not going to find out anything from me, or anyone else, until we are sure that you can be trusted with such information! Don't you _ever_ ask me about that again! Do you understand?"

Sierra nodded, and withdrew a few steps from her poisonous glare.

After a few minutes of hostile silence, Sierra spoke. "I have a training session to attend, I must get going. Good afternoon."

Sierra marched out, and ran back all the way back to her hotel room. She sat on a chair and buried her face in her paws. She had to talk to Professor Lambert about their conversation. However, she had a foreboding sense that she was being watched: her Neomails intercepted and read, her every move being carefully observed. She knew where it came from: the morsel of information about the sources didn't surprise her, yet she still felt very unsure. She sighed, stood up, and packed up her training things. She had work to do.

She returned to the mansion after her training session later that evening. She turned into the room that Martha had brought her to earlier that day. She checked to make sure no one was in the room, then walked over to the table Martha was sitting at. She turned over the map, and took out a notepad and a pen from her shoulder bag. The map was of the Neopia Central Plaza, the majority of the marks focussing on the Defenders of Neopia Headquarters and the Welcome Center. _They must have a lot of sources around this area._ She wrote this thought down. She turned the map over the way she had found it, and walked over to the black curtain. She quietly drew back the curtain part of the way. She could already see at least twenty large maps posted on the wall, with the same red and black markings covering them. She scanned the maps. The Uni rickshaw and steam ferry paths. Downtown Neopia Central, Tyrannia, the University of Brightvale, Neovia's Cemetery, the Altadorian Coliseum, the Red Towers in the Faerie Forest, The Skeith's Tail tavern in Happy Valley. _All of the factions' headquarters, as well!_ She wrote down all of observations. _They must have maps of all the worlds, and other places of interest to them. Knowing the movement of the population must be important for some reason._ She closed the curtain, and continued writing.

The door creaked open behind her, making her jump. She hurriedly stuffed the notepad and pen in her bag, and whirled around to see Damien closing the door behind him.

"Oh, good evening. You startled me a little there."

"I noticed."

An awkward silence fell between them.

"We head off for Tyrannia tomorrow afternoon at four. I was told to inform you that your help with the weaponry is required," Damien announced. "Also, you have been assigned a code name that we will refer to each other with whilst in Tyrannia, and all correspondence and communication outside of the mansion will be to your codename. Yours is Agent Nova, and mine is Agent Night." _They're both... quite fitting, actually._

"I'm surprised that I have been given such a job even though I have only been a member for two days."

"I've heard your knowledge is valuable for us." Damien walked further into the room, picked up the wooden ruler and inspected it.

She walked up to him. "How much do you know about me?"

"Enough." He set the ruler back down.

"Enough to know what?"

"Simply enough."

"What is wrong with you people here about not telling anyone anything?"

"Perhaps it's a matter of trust." Damien's cool demeanor and searching eyes angered Sierra even more. _What are you hiding?_

"Who are you really, and why don't you trust me enough to tell me what you know about me?"

"Why should I trust you?"

"You don't have a choice. I'm your blasted partner, for Fyora's sake!"

That shut Damien up, leaving Sierra with merely an icy glare as a response.

"Why can't you trust me? What do you have to hide?"

"I'd like to ask you the same question."

She paused. "Well, I can't trust you because you won't trust me."

With that she left the room, leaving Damien alone to stare at the tiny yellow Cybunny face with bright blue eyes in the small locket concealed in his paw. He sighed, then snapped it closed before returning the locket to its home in his inner coat pocket.


	5. Part 4

Sierra burst through the University doors, checked in with the receptionist, and rushed to Professor Lambert's office. She found him sitting at his desk with a mug of tea and remnants of breakfast on a tray.

"Ah, good morning, Sierra!"

"Good morning, Professor. I'm terribly sorry, I would meet at a more decent time but I am extremely busy, we're going to the Battleground this afternoon, I-"

He waved off her excuses. "Don't worry about it, eight in the morning isn't too early at all! Have a seat. What would you like to meet with me about?"

She lowered her voice. "It's the Sway... I can already see that they are not who we think they are." She took out her notepad and handed it to him on the page that her map notes where on, and explained what happened over the last two days. "Taking a photograph of the maps is too risky, and I won't have time anyway since we are beginning our journey to Tyrannia this afternoon. I have to be there in a few hours."

The Professor nodded, looking concerned. "Obviously they are suspicious already, which has nothing to do with your actions. How did they find out about your article?"

"I don't know. Martha refused to answer me when I asked the same thing," she replied.

"Hmm." He paused. "I need you to find out, if you can."

"I will do my best."

"Also, you mentioned that there are 'missions' that are run?"

"Yes, I believe those are what the maps are for, as well as informing their sources. Based on my observations, that means that there are missions conducted to the various faction headquarters on a regular basis... including ours."

The Professor's eyes widened. He began rummaging through the papers on his desk and drawers. "Right, all catalogues of everything must be reviewed, as well as checking if there's anything missing or in a different condition than what was in since it was seen last, more library monitors must be hired-" He looked at Sierra. "Oh, dear, I apologize. Thank you very much for imparting this information to me."

"You're welcome. I understand that this will be an added burden to our faction and I wish I could do something about it..." She heard a pattern of clacking noises from outside. "What's that noise?"

"It just sounds like the typewriters from out in the library."

"Right." She subconsciously drummed the S.O.S signal with her claw on the desk. Her face lit up as an idea came to her. "I've got it! I know what we could do!"

"Whatever do you mean by this?"

"A handheld morse code clicker. Whenever I'm in the building during a mission, if that ever happens, I would click out a message, like S.O.S. or something to that effect, to warn you of our arrival. However, this would be in an ultrasonic frequency, so only a special receiver can process it and bring to frequency to an audible level. However, when I'm not in range, I can send you a rushed neomail with a certain message, like this-" She grabbed a pen and wrote down, _'Brace yourselves for those in black.'_ on a scrap of paper. "What do you think?"

The Professor smiled. "I shall go get Katie." He stood up, then turned to her.

"Wait a minute, did you say you would be on a mission here?"

"I have no idea if that would ever happen, but I get the impression that eventually every member goes on one."

Professor Lambert sighed. "Please be careful as you continue your research. Try to stay safe. You know how important you are to us."

"If I try to stay safe, then I won't find out anything."

"Sierra, help me set up these tents!" Martha yelled irritably, loaded down with supplies like a pack Bika. Sierra lifted her bicycle off of the rack on the back of the carriage and set it on the ground. "Can I at least get our stuff?" she huffed. She looked at her and Martha's bags, thinking of the best way to cart them over to the tent site. She propped up her main bag on her bicycle ,slung her weaponry bag over her shoulders, and attempted to pick up Martha's duffel bag. "Good grief! What do you have in here, a stack of bricks?" She struggled to half-carry, half-drag the bag over to the tent site.

"I have everything that I need in that bag and the weaponry bag you left by the carriage. What did you bring?"

"Everything that I need, as well."

Once they had finished setting up and the carriages had left, the red carriages from the Order began arriving nearby. Members began pouring out and unloading the carriages, while higher officials ceremoniously flew in on their broomsticks. She saw Lily appear from one of the carriages and begin helping out. They made eye contact, and Lily seemed to begin to move in her direction. Sierra subtly shook her head, and Lily nodded, turning away to continue working.

"Lily Tamir, fifteen, purple Shoyru, short term Order member, best friend of Sierra Hardingson."

Sierra turned around in shock to face the green Techo she knew as the Nefarious Plotter.

"Sir! How do you know this?"

He eyed her dubiously. "We know everything about everyone, Sierra. Especially about faction members. It is suspicious and dangerous to be so closely connected to members in the other factions."

She shifted her posture, leaning back slightly and crossing her arms. "You still haven't answered that question."

The Techo did not respond.

Sierra sighed with a hint of irritation. She was getting nowhere, and just raising suspicions further. She decided to take a different approach.

"So... um, what's our plan of attack? I mean, how are we planning to win this?" She plastered on an innocently eager façade. The Techo seemed to buy it.

"We're going to fight in various day shifts and night shifts, starting with tonight. You will be fighting the morning shift tomorrow and the day after, and on the final day you will be fighting the morning and afternoon shifts. During these shifts, you will fight as many battles as possible, and you will need to win a minimum of twenty battles against each opponent within your HP limit each day."

"That would be the fourth most difficult challenger if he or she did not take the HP and stat booster."

"Correct. You should use your healer while fighting opponents with significantly less HP in order to get more wins in."

"Right. Do I need to do anything else except fight?"

"You will be given a list of the weapons our members are using, and based on that list you will recommend the weapon combinations to used based on the number rounds that are being fought. You mentioned in your paper that the weapon combinations are different for those mainly fighting two round fights versus three to five rounds, versus seven or more rounds."

"I see you've read it. I shall do my best to provide helpful information."

"You have been very useful to us, Sierra."

"Thank you, sir." She paused in thought. "Is it common that people like me get the jobs that I have, yet know so little about us?"

He hesitated. "No and yes. Members who were previously loyal to other factions, such as you, usually receive jobs that require little to no intelligence, such as making the wax seal molds for our letters, act as decoys or distractions during missions so that his or her partner who is a full member can complete the task at hand undisturbed, or simply fighting. However, we make sure that everyone whom we know will not be loyal to us for life gains as little information about us to prevent them from spreading the information to other factions or the Neopian press. It is our secrecy that makes us so successful. We can anticipate the behavior of our opponents, but they cannot do the same for us. Your... talents make you an exception, and that is why we wanted you to join."

Sierra nodded. "That makes a lot of sense for a group such as ours to do this. Thank you for your explanation, sir."

"You're welcome."

"Wait a minute... You said that you wanted me to join... What do you do when you want someone to join? How do you persuade him or her to join?"

"There are various methods that we used, one of which you already know."

Sierra thought for a moment. Her eyes widened. "That dream... That wasn't a coincidence."

He said nothing, just continuing to stare off towards the Obelisk.

"You sent it to me, didn't you?"

He merely nodded without looking at her.

She paused for a moment before speaking, trying to process this. "Well, I must get going now, I have yet to make my final preparations before the battles tomorrow. "Good afternoon."

"Very well, good afternoon. Also, Sierra - you are forbidden to attempt to communicate Lily Tamir while you are here, or accept any communications attempt from her. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, you do."

After a long morning of hard battling the next day, Sierra wearily returned to her tent. She drank one of her healing potions, then began cleaning her weapons and returning them to their cases. After she changed out of her fighting outfit, she walked outside to be greeted by a Crokabek. It deposited a letter in her paws, screeched obnoxiously, then flew away. She hastily opened it. She sat down, and squinted at the written code. _Ugh, Eliv Thade code. I'm terrible at this._

Damien passed by in full fighting gear as she struggled to decode the message.

"D- I mean Agent Night?"

"Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon. Would you help me with this, please?" She handed the letter to him.

He skimmed the letter.

"Do you have a pen?"

"Yeah." She ducked into her tent and returned with one after a moment. He took the pen, wrote something on the letter, and handed the letter and the pen back to her.

_Agent Nova,_

_I would like a private audience with you in the Grand Tent at four thirty today. Don't be late._

_CM_

She looked up at him. "Who's it from?"

He lowered his voice. "Most likely from Norheim, using one of his aliases. The Grand Tent is where She resides during the duration of the skirmish. You can't miss it."

"Okay. Thank you for your help."

He nodded. He turned to leave, then turned back around. "By the way, hot chocolate will be served." He then turned and walked away. She pondered his words. _Hot Chocolate?_ She searched her mind to think of what he could mean. She remembered the Innocuous Hot Chocolate from the War for the Obelisk prize shop in the catalogue. _They must have the same hot chocolate that was offered in the prize shop! I wonder what is really in that stuff anyway..._She returned inside the tent, and rummaged around in her suitcase, being careful not to disturb the carefully arranged healing potions among her clothes and various miscellany. She pulled out a small, opaque white packet. Curious, she opened it and emptied the contents on her sleeping bag. There were several empty, closeable vials, a vial full of a blue liquid labelled 'disappearing ink', a small pair of scissors, cotton swabs, a pocket knife, and a box of matches. She inspected the scissors, and saw a pair of glasses discreetly engraved in them. She smiled. _Thanks, Katie._

The Grand Tent loomed over Sierra as she approached the cloth doors. She knocked on the wooden beam just outside. Norheim appeared in the entryway. "Good afternoon, Agent Nova. Come in."

"Good afternoon, my lord." She followed him inside, and took a seat in the chair across from her. She looked in awe at the intricate patterns on the tent walls, and the lavish furniture around them. "How did you transport all of this here?" she asked.

Norheim poured her and himself a cup of hot chocolate. "We make special arrangements. Her ladyship requests only the finest furnishings for her residence." He took a sip of hot chocolate. "Aren't you going to have some?"

"I'm going to wait until it cools, thank you." She paused. "I am honored and surprised that you requested a private audience with me."

Norheim nodded, as if he wasn't listening. "How did your battling go today?"

"Quite well, thirty wins, no draws or losses."

"Very well done. Do we need to send out for more healing potions?"

"No, I have nine left, that should be more than enough."

"Very well. You are enjoying your time with us?"

"...What do you mean?"

"You enjoy being a member?"

"Well, yes, I believe I do. It took me some time to figure out exactly what my job was considering I didn't receive any direct training, and there are some, well, members, that I, uh..."

"Aren't used to their personalities and ways of thinking?"

"Yes, I- wait, what?"

"Never mind. We are glad to have you as a member."

"Thank you."

She chanced taking a small sip of the hot chocolate. It tasted good to her, but she wasn't sure whether the odd undertones she was tasting were real or if it was just her paranoid mind. She coughed and discreetly spit it back into the mug as an idea came to her. She looked around her saucer. "It seems that I am missing a spoon for the cream." She set down the cup.

"Oh, I shall get one for you. One moment please." He got up and disappeared behind a curtain.

_Now's my chance._ She quickly took the vial from her inner coat pocket, took a sample of the hot chocolate, then placed the closed vial back in her pocket. Norheim returned with a spoon and handed it to her.

"Thank you, my lord." She took it, scooped some chantilly cream into her mug, and stirred it. "Why did you want my talents and my essay so badly? I get the impression that multiple attempts were made to get me to join."

"What makes you say that?"

"You sent me the dream, didn't you? You used magic to take a video and then you sent to me as a dream in order to convince me. You did the same thing with the voices. I get the impression you usually don't do that."

"It's true, we don't. We do things very differently now than we did before. Before the War for the Obelisk, we only recruited members ourselves, and we did not recruit members as young as you, only members who were legal adults. You saw that from my reluctance in the mandatory Neopedia article. But as we needed more reliable members with unique talents, we began searching for and recruiting younger members. All the members we don't recruit have simple jobs, and they are the sheer numbers for the battling. The recruited members do the real work. Take Agent Night, for instance. He is one of our decoding agents since he has so much experience in the field. We recruited him just before the Obelisk was discovered. Strategically minded members such as you and him are very important."

"But what about my knowledge specifically, and my essay?"

"Success is like the valuables inside a box with many different locks. When you obtain the box, you gain the main opportunity. You must find all of the different keys to the locks in order to unlock the box, and obtain the reward inside. We already have the box and some of the keys, yet we still have much work to do. We believed that your essay is one of the keys, or at least part of one, and our assumptions were proven correct."

She thought about his words, and pretended to take another sip of hot chocolate.

"Oh, I have something to ask of you, Agent Nova," Norheim said after a moment's silence.

"What is it, my lord?"

He lowered his voice. "I have heard rumors of a suspected spy in our organization. I don't have any solid proof yet, which is why I am assigning you, Agent Night, and several other members to be on the look out for any suspicious behavior, and report it to me if you find anything. We do not tolerate traitors in our society, nor do we mourn the loss of them."

"Yes, I understand." She tensed, and sat up straighter to hide it. _I'm not scared. No. I'm not scared of anything._ She thought she saw him reaching for something in his pocket, and she discreetly wrapped her paw around her dagger handle hidden by her jacket. "Is that why you trust no one?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Is that why no one except a select few know what we are really fighting for? What our values really are? How can one know if the faction's values match up with one's own if the faction's values are unknown? You need the members to just do as they're told, and to trust that they're doing the right thing. How can they if they don't know?"

Norheim scowled. "I disapprove of your searching questions, Sierra."

"But knowledge of one's morals is everything!"

"Yet curiosity killed the Kadoatie," he warned. Sierra realized what she had just said. "I think I must get going, thank you for the hot chocolate. Good afternoon, my lord," she hurriedly left. Norheim did not get up, but took the pen and paper lying near him on the desk and began to write a letter.

Sierra returned to her tent, closed the door flaps and buried her face in her pillow. _Did I say too much? I did, didn't I? Oh, I did! Oh Fyora!_ Her heart sank. A couple of teardrops fell onto her pillow. _What have I done?_ Her mind swam and her paws shook as she sat up, her heart racing. She got up, and decided to take a bike ride. She walked over to the rack, got her bike, and sped around the inner circle between the campsites and the ledge that isolated the obelisk from the rest of Tyrannia. She loved feeling the wind blowing through her fur, and feeling so free. She was near the far border of the Order's campsite when she saw Lily walking among the tents. Sierra slowed down and swerved. She leaned to the side slightly, and jumped off in an attempt to make it look like she fell. Her bike clattered loudly. Lily ran over to her. "Are you okay- Oh, hi!" She lowered her voice. "You didn't really fall, did you?"

Sierra shook her head, and grinned. "I'm fine."

"How's it going?" Lily helped her up.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you, they know about us."

"...Oh."

"Suspicion is rising," Sierra whispered. She picked up her bike. "Maps of factions headquarters. My essay. Infinite knowledge. They trust no one." Lily's eyes widened. "You need to tell her, you know."

"Rasala?'

She nodded.

"I'd better go, then."

"Me, too," Sierra got back onto her bicycle, and continued her circuit around the Obelisk.

Sierra paced along her row of tents the next afternoon, watching the dust stir with her steps. _I've said too much, but what do I do? Leaving immediately after the battle ends would save me a lot of trouble, but they would get even more suspicious and I feel like I haven't found out enough. How long should I stay? Probably just until I figure out what they do during the truce time, and what a mission entails._ She bumped into someone, and she mumbled an apology before noticing that something silver fell to the ground. She picked up the open locket, and a young, yellow Cybunny stared cheerfully back at her. She looked up to see Damien. Sierra closed the locket and handed it back to him.

"Who's that in the locket?" she asked as kindly as possible.

"Someone. It doesn't matter." He didn't look at her. She couldn't tell if he was nervous or just being cold.

"Come on, you can tell me. Who is she? A family member? An old friend?"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Damien, please tell me. It's okay."

He hesitated. "My... she's my sister," he mumbled. "She's not so little anymore."

"Is she at home?"

"No."

"Where is she, then?"

He hesitated again. "I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I haven't seen her in six years!" His voice and paws trembled.

"...Oh." Sierra wasn't sure how to respond. "I'm very sorry."

Damien shook his head.

"...Do you think we could find her?"

"What do you mean by 'we?'"

"Well, I could help you find her. We could go through whatever files and archives she has, and maybe we'll find an address or a Neoschool name, or at least a place where recent purchases have been made under her name."

"Really?"

"Sure!"

"We'll have to be careful, though. I don't know if we'll be able to access those areas of the vaults. My access card is heavily restricted."

"Well, it's always worth trying, isn't it?"

He cracked a small, grateful smile. Hope glimmered in his eyes. "Thank you."

She smiled back. "No problem. See? It's not that hard!"

He didn't respond, but kept smiling.

Sierra walked up to her house after spending the day completing her Defenders of Neopia courses. The front porch light flickered in the darkness, struggling to stay on. As she stuck the key into the lock, she heard a noise from inside. _That's odd,_ she thought. _Zane and Mom shouldn't be here until tomorrow morning..._ She pressed her ear against the door, but she didn't hear anything. She shrugged and quietly opened the door. In the foyer, she spotted a tall, cloaked, unfamiliar silhouette. She dove behind a large potted plant. Part of her screamed at her to run away, yet she stayed put. Two other silhouettes appeared out of the darkness. She could barely make out what they were saying.

"Did you find it?" the tall one whispered.

One of the other silhouettes shook its head. "We searched everywhere, but she must have taken it with her."

"Hmm... This could prove to be a problem. Norheim will not be pleased about thi- Someone's here. Move!" They disappeared and she heard the back door closing.

She left her hiding spot and turned on the lights to find her whole house trashed. Some of the Sakhmetan pottery was gone, as well as a small, antique desk lamp. She ran upstairs to her room to find a few of her books and her typewriter were gone as well. Tears streamed down her cheeks. _I'll find whoever did this, I have to..._

Sierra woke with a start, smacking her head against a metal tent pole. Dawn barely peeked through the flaps. She blinked and wiped the dried tears from her face as she realized what had just happened. She quickly dressed, brushed her unruly hair and ran outside. She passed Damien as he returned to his tent, wearing his now-tattered fighting outfit. He tossed his weapons into the tent and pulled out a healing potion. "Sierra, what's going on?"

She whirled around. "Where's Norheim? I must speak to him immediately."

"Why do you nee-"

"Where is he?"

"He should still be in the secondary grand tent, to the right of the Grand Tent."

"Thank you." She nodded her head and ran off. He ran after her.

"Sie- Agent Nova, wait! Wait!"

She kept running until she reached the tent.

"Nova, why do you need to speak to him?"

She whirled around and scowled. "I have my secrets, you have yours. Excuse me."

"But I already told you something about me, and I know nothing about you! Surely it's fair-"

"Why are you so interested in my past now? I thought you wanted nothing to do with me!"

"Obviously things have changed in the past few days!"

"I'll explain it to you later, just not now. I have something to take care of." She hurried to the tent, leaving Damien outside. She burst in, not bothering to knock, and Norheim looked up at her in faint surprise. She slammed her paws down on the desk and the surrounding papers fluttered messily in the air. _"You!_ You were the one responsible for it _all,_ weren't you? You-"

"Now that's not a very polite way to greet your superior, Agent Nova. I expected better of you. Now what is this that you speak of?"

"The robbery of my house two and a half years ago, that's what! It was planned, a mission that you carried out where you assigned former Thieves Guild members to break into my house and steal my essay! I can't believe that you would stoop that _low_ and do such a thing-"

"'Stoop that low,' you say? Oh please, we did not 'stoop' at all. We did what we had to do to get the essay in our possession. You can see how important it is to us, I explained to you two days ago. The essay was important to us then, but when the Obelisk appeared we realized the full extent of its importance. We knew all along you would choose the Seekers, but we needed to shift your loyalty, so to speak, to us."

Sierra's eyes widened. "Did you have anything to do with the Neopian Times rejections?"

"We may have spoken briefly with the editors about the matter-"

"I can't believe it!" She slammed her paws on the desk again, fire raging in her eyes. She turned her back to him, wiped her face with her paws, then whipped around to face him again. "I can't believe you would go this far to get such a small tidbit of information when you already know so much... But why did you have to ruin my life in the process? We lost 200K in valuables from the robbery. It may not sound like much to you, but it was a lot to us, and it still is. You turned me into a paranoid freak who sleeps with a dagger under her pillow ever since, all for an essay that you just could have gotten from the Neopian Times!"

"Oh no. The value is lost completely when something like that becomes public knowledge. It is no longer an advantage when everyone uses the same tactics."

"Right, if your opponents can predict what you're going to do, they're more likely to gain the upper hand. That much makes sense, unfortunately."

"You seem familiar with this topic."

"And you're straying from the subject of importance."

"You got your knowledge from the Seekers, I suppose? We've found out about your position in their society. I'm surprised that you would give all of that up to join us."

Sierra froze, eyes widening. _Oh no. They've found out!_

Norheim smiled thinly. "Oh dear, have we run across a slight problem?"

She tried to hide her trembling in her cloak. "How did you find out about that?" She gritted her teeth.

"We know many things, Sierra."

_"How?_ I'm sick of your cryptic answers! Give me a literal one, for Fyora's sake!"

"I will not. It's my and Her Ladyship's best kept secret, after all."

"Fine. If you'll excuse me, sir, I have some business to attend to. Good morning- actually, no, don't have a good morning, I hope you have a miserable one." She irritably marched out of the tent, where Damien was still waiting for her.

"So that's what all of that was about-"

Sierra stopped walking and whirled around. "You were _listening_ to my conversation? I'm pretty sure that I made it clear that it was a private-"

"-And that you'd tell me about it when you were finished talking. I was... gathering background information, of sorts."

"Yeah right, 'background information.' How convincing." She rolled her eyes and continued walking.

"Are you going to tell me about what that was about?"

She sighed. "To make a long story short, about two years ago some people broke into my house and stole a lot of stuff. I had always thought it was solely the Thieves Guild who were responsible, but it wasn't until last night when I had a frighteningly accurate dream about it that I realized that Norheim organized it to steal my essay, which I had just finished.

"I went to confront Norheim about to only for the conversation to veer off and to find out that he discovered my former position with the Seekers, which I didn't want him to find out."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want them to use my knowledge that way. They've already got my essay, and that's already more than I bargained for when I joined. I just can't let them continue to leech knowledge from me." She paused. "I don't want to continue being used like this, being just a pawn in her chess game. I didn't realize this would be what I was getting into when I joined."

"We're all pawns in her chess game. Every single one of us. She uses us all whether we like it or not, and we just have to go along with it. The consequences of betrayal are too great."

She lowered her voice. "Do you know what her plan is?"

"All I know is what I've been told, and that her ultimate plan that she has been working towards by making sure certain events throughout Neopia go a certain way is for the greater good of Neopia."

"But how can you be so sure that it's for 'the greater good?' How do you know that when you don't know what their plans or ambitions are at all?"

He responded with a look of confusion.

"You see what I mean? They refuse to trust any of us, save for the select handful who know almost everything, so how can we ever trust them? It's kind of like us: the more we know someone, the more we trust them. They would only be so wary and careful around everyone, including their own members, if they have something to hide where knowledge of it would change everything. It can't be a good thing if people knowing about it would change their plans. If it truly was for the greater good of Neopia, then they should have no trouble telling the public and convincing them to help out."

Damien nodded. The pieces were slowly coming together. "They've been working towards this great plan since the beginning of recorded history, maybe even before then."

"So that's what, two or more thousand years? We can conclude from that since it's such a long term project that it could result in drastic changes in Neopia, whatever that may be."

"Wait a minute, are you trying to find out-"

"Yes."

"But, but-" he hesitated, a little flustered. "The consequences-"

"I know. I need to find out anyway." _I've got a plan,_ she added silently. She paused. "Do you still want to be just a pawn in her chess game? Think about it." She walked back to the tent, leaving him standing there in utter, overwhelmed surprise.


	6. Part 5

On Monday after the skirmish ended, Sierra hurried into the National Neopian museum and walked over to the front desk.

"Hey Lucy, I'm back!"

"Hello, Sierra! Where've you been?" Lucy tossed her her set of keys.

"...Around. I'll explain it later. Thanks!" She walked into the hallway next to the reception desk and rushed down the stairs. She swung the doors open to reveal a library with many doors leading to the vast system of corridors branching away from the mahogany and book lined room. Circular wood tables were scattered all over the library, each one piled high with stacks of paper or equipped with a typewriter.

"Sierra! You're back!" Several pets greeted her enthusiastically.

"Hello everyone!" She greeted them back with a smile. "I didn't miss a lot, did I?"

"Not very much at all- Oh, here's the edited draft of your weapons report released last month." A blue Aisha handed her a small stack of papers. "Where have you been?"

"Thank you, Goodwin. I've been... doing a separate research project off-site. I have a lot to do today."

"Then I won't keep you from your work."

"Don't worry about it. It's great to see everyone again."

"It's good to see you, too! Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon." She began walking over to one of the vast shelves when she spotted a green Shoyru carrying a large pitcher of lemonade and placing it in the refreshments corner. His labcoat was covered in a rainbow of stains. She walked over to him.

"Gyro!"

"Hello, Sierra! I heard you've been gone for a while on a research project. Would you like to try some of my lemonade? It's a new formula!"

"I have, and no thank you. I have a little something for you." She pulled out the vial of hot chocolate from her bag and handed it to him. "Would you do me a huge favor and run this in the mass spec, please?"

"Of course! Come, let me show you my new lab. I'm an 'assistant scientist' no longer! I never liked those war aliases anyway." He motioned for her to follow him through a well lit hallway.

"Congratulations on your promotion!" She smiled.

"Oh, and before I forget, Marcus told me and a few others to tell you that he would like to see you when you get back."

"Alright then, thank you. How has he been?"

"He's been fine. Last time I saw him he was asleep at an enormous stack of essays, probably reading and grading them to see who should replace him."

"Ah, typical," she laughed.

He laughed. "How have you been? What's this external research project?"

"It's about the Sway. I'm..." She lowered her voice. "I'm trying to find out more about them since we know so little, so I joined them for the skirmishes. I had a meeting with Lord Norheim the other day, you'd know him as Cunning Mastermind. To make a long story short he offered me this hot chocolate but it tasted funny."

"Did you drink it?"

"No, I just pretended to."

Gyro unlocked the door and they walked into the room. The wooden walls they saw through the corridors were replaced with white painted walls and linoleum flooring. Desks filled with stacks of papers lined one side of the wall, while white cabinets above black countertops lined another next to a giant fume hood. In the center of the room, two elaborate systems of clear plastic tubing attached to large glass vessels and glass spiral pipes were set up on long tables. To the back a mass spectrometer was set up next to two Virtupets display screens. Gyro walked over to the spectrometer while Sierra wandered around the room.

"I see you've got some Virtupets stuff in here."

"Yep, we're trying to incorporate it into the labs so we can keep up with progress and the times and all that."

"How'd the committee approve that?"

He shrugged. "Someone had some pretty powerful persuasion skills, much more than me."

Sierra laughed.

"Anyway, it takes about fifteen minutes for it to run a composition analysis."

"Alright. I won't be here for very long, so I'll go talk to Marcus in the meantime."

"I'll see you later then!"

Sierra knocked sharply on the dark wooden door. There was no response, so she let herself in. She found a well-dressed red Scorchio snoring loudly in a leather chair at a cluttered desk, his head resting on a stack of papers. She sighed.

"Professor Bellshire!" He continued snoring.

"Professor Bellshire? Professor Bellshire!" Her mentor didn't budge. She groaned in exasperation.

_"Marcus!"_

"Ah!" He gasped and nearly jumped out his chair, sending nearby papers flying. "Oh, hello, Sierra! Dear goodness, I fell asleep again, didn't I? Whatever is the time, anyway?" He stumbled out of his chair and began to collect the papers on the floor.

She checked her pocket watch. "Eleven twenty six. I just came to let you know that I'm back. I'll be gone for several days after today most likely but then I'll be back again."

"Very good. It's good to have you back. The team missed you, you know. You got your latest report back, didn't you?"

"Yes, Goodwin gave it to me." She briefly paused. "I need to talk to you about something, Professor," she began.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Sierra, please call me Marcus! I'm not even a professor anymore, anyway! 'Professor' is much too formal for a funny old chap like me. Now, what is that something you would like to discuss?"

"Well, I've been conducting a separate research project while I've been away. You've heard about it, haven't you?"

"All I heard about was the morse clicker idea that you came up with. Quite a genius idea for security breaches, I say."

"Well, I've been trying to gather information about the Sway and their tactics and plans from the inside, so I've been fighting with them this time around." She explained their interest in her essay and its connection to her house robbery.

"...This has evidently taken quite a personal turn." He paused. "I'm glad to see that you haven't been _swayed,_ though!" He laughed at his own joke. Sierra set her head in her paw and shook her head.

"This is no laughing matter, Marcus."

"You're right, this isn't. I'm sorry."

"Anyway, I need permission to access the vaults so I can get more information on the Sway and their connection to the Obelisk." She lowered her voice. "I have to find out exactly what they're going to do, what they have planned."

"...And how does the anonymity of them have anything to do with us?"

"Marcus, they know too much about me. They know all about me and my position here. That not only makes me a target, but you, Lambert, Katie, and anyone else who is remotely influential in our organization. If I don't find out the whole truth, then all of us and our research could be at risk."

Marcus sat back down in his chair, eyes widened. He wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "Dear Fyora, what have you gotten yourself into?"

"That's why I need your help."

"What do you need?"

"Let's see... I'll need access the the archive vaults here and in Brightvale in the sectors where the Obelisk, faction notes, and promotional videos are. Can you do that for me?"

Marcus wrote a note on a scrap of paper and handed it to her. "Take this to Lucy, and she'll loan you the keys to sector 5 here, third door to your left. The note should also get you the keys to sector seven in Brightvale."

"Thank you so much."

"What are you going to do about your essay?"

"What do you mean? They've got it now. I can't think of anything I can do to get it back."

"Right... What did you say about its importance to them again?"

"That it's a key to their success,they kept influencing its rejection to the Neopian Times and they went to great lengths to get it. They think that it has to be their secret in order to- What exactly are you suggesting?"

"Well, I was thinking that you could get your essay back somehow in order to foil their plans..."

"But then that will expose me! I can't afford that!"

He scowled. "Sierra, you foolish girl! Did you really think you could get out of this unscathed? Of course you're going to be exposed eventually. You just have to make it their undoing in the process."

"Well... I..." She stammered as she attempted to retaliate, only to realize the sense in his words. _I wonder what other foolish assumptions I've made..._

He interrupted her thoughts. "Do you think you could get your article into the Neopian Times?"

"I'm not sure... Why- that's it. I have to put it out there and make it known and available to the other factions so the Sway can't make it a part of their plan. Perfect! You're a genius, Marcus!" She heartily shook his paw in gratitude. "I'll submit it after I leave home and before I leave for Brightvale. They'll get the latest edition on Thursday afternoon, but they can't change it once they receive it since it is being prepared for circulation for Friday afternoon's weekend news. How does that sound?"

"Three days sounds like a risky buffer time, but they might be preoccupied with other things before they find out about your submission."

Suddenly, there was a loud, sharp knock on the door. "Marcus? It's me, Gyro."

"Come in." The door swung opened and the flustered Shoyru hurriedly entered.

"Whatever is the matter?" Marcus asked.

Gyro turned to Sierra. "I need to show you something in my lab. I've gotten some rather... unusual results."

"Go on then, Sierra," Marcus replied. "Keep me up to date, will you?"

"Yes, I will. Good afternoon!" Sierra rushed out of the office with Gyro. Once they reached his lab, Gyro brought up the results on one of the display screens. "Now, I found normal amounts of cocoa, sugar, milk, caffeine and the like in the hot chocolate, but what I was not expecting was this," he pointed to one of the higher bars on the graph. "It's sodium thiopental, a barbiturate-class anesthetic-"

"Gyro!" Sierra interrupted. "Something I can understand, please? I'm a weapons specialist, not a chemist."

"Right," he laughed nervously. "Sorry. Anyway, sodium thiopental is an anesthetic, the kind of stuff that they give you in hospitals to knock you out before performing surgeries. It can knock you out if given in high enough doses, but low doses usually impairs judgement. Neohospitals don't use it very much anymore. Now, on its own it doesn't last very long, only about five to ten minutes, and it has to get to the bloodstream through an IV or injection. With magic, however, it can be incredibly powerful and last over hour, and it can also be effective if ingested as a white powder. The powder was mixed into the hot chocolate. The amount in the sample was relatively small, but it could easily seriously impair your judgement to the point of you not remembering what you said if you drank an entire mug."

"He was trying to get me to talk." Her eyes widened in realization.

"That's what it seems like to me as well."

"They must already be suspicious of me. After all, they wouldn't do this if they weren't. Gyro, make sure these results do not leave this lab nor are known to anyone else save Marcus."

"Alright."

"Thank you so much. I owe you one big time."

"You're welcome!"

"So, I've got all the information I need now, just the notes on the Obelisk." They walked through the poorly lit rows of meticulously labelled boxes stacked on metal shelves.

"Are you sure it's in this sector?" Katie asked.

That's what Bellshire and Lambert both said. They were stopped at the O section, and had pulled out and put away every box in search of the notes.

"I found it!" Katie's excited voice echoed through the vaults. "The box is hard to open, though."

"Here." Sierra used a pair of scissors to cut through the clear tape around the edge of the lid. She lifted it off, and they both gasped.

"It's... empty..." They rechecked the label of when it was last opened.

"It was last opened by Lambert, but he was positive that all the notes were back in there!" Katie said, confused. "He was sure it was this box, too."

Sierra heard a rhythmic clicking noise echo slowly through the vaults. She brought a finger to her lips and Katie nodded. Sierra kept one paw on the hilt of her dagger. She proceeded in front as they quietly crept towards what she thought was the source of the sound. The clicking noises echoed louder, and sounded more like footsteps. _No one else is supposed to be in the vaults now!_

The noises stopped suddenly. She peered between the boxes and she thought she saw a shadow move. She silently drew her dagger and placed it lengthwise between two boxes, and carefully adjusted the angle to catch a reflection. The shadowed figure was a camouflage Acara. She adjusted the collar of her black trench coat, then turned and looked straight at Sierra's dagger. The eye contact made Sierra jump, and she heard the familiar _chi-chick _of unlocking a blaster as soon as she grabbed her dagger. She peered around the shelves of boxes and her nose narrowly missed a blaster fire. She swung her dagger around and knocked the blaster to the floor. The Acara muttered a curse, briefly nursing her injured hands.

"Run!" she yelled to Katie. Sierra ran with her as the Acara scrambled for her blaster, then ran towards Sierra. Sierra whirled around and dodged a kick, and lashed out towards her shoulder with her dagger. The Acara attempted to block her and grab the dagger, but failed with her injured hands. Sierra kept slowly backing up the direction of the door. She kicked the intruder in the stomach, then bolted for the door, weaving through the aisles. The Acara ran back to get her blaster, and fiery laser blasts shot around her, burning holes in boxes around her and deflecting off of the metal shelves. She stumbled as a laser blast grazed her shoulder and bit her cheek hard to silence a yelp. _Ignore the pain ignore the pain ignore the pain!_ She finally burst through the door, shutting it behind her and locking the Acara inside. The wound on her back burned as she ran through the hallways. Sierra grit her teeth as she continued to attempt to ignore it. A Skeith wearing a black blaster proof vest patrolled one of the halls.

"Security! Armed intruder in archive sector seven, risk level red with possible Sway affiliation. Also Obelisk notes in box O 455 MIA, again possible Sway involvement."

The guard rushed over to a security with a series of buttons. He pressed a few of them and a shrill alarm went off. He picked up the PA receiver. "This is security. This building is going under full lockdown due to a code red 890 security breach. Please do not be alarmed. Everyone in the museum, please stay calm and stay where you are. All security members report to sector seven with necessary gear." He set down the receiver. "Thank you."

She nodded in acknowledgement, then picked up the receiver. "Also would Katie Lambert please report to the front desk immediately. Thank you." She handed the receiver back to the security guard.

"She okay?"

"I think so, she was with me down in the vaults, but she got away while the intruder was focused on me. Good afternoon, I must go now."

"Miss, your shoulder!"

Sierra winced in pain as she touched the back of her throbbing shoulder, and cringed when she looked at her fingertips. "Fyora, it's worse than I thought. Thank you!"

She made her way back through the hallways and flights of stairs back to the front desk. Katie was waiting for her, pacing in concern. She looked up to see her. "Sierra!"

"Katie, you're alright!" Katie ran over and gave her a hug. Sierra winced again. Concern washed over Katie's face again. "You're hurt," she said.

"Yeah. She got me with her blaster, the darn rascal," she replied.

Katie climbed over the front desk, then appeared a few seconds later with a first aid kit.

Sierra smiled. "Aww Katie, you're so sweet!"

Katie smiled back. "It's about time that I pay you back for you bandaging me up after another encounter with a bully and Gladstone was home sick." She took out a small black device from her skirt pocket as she pulled out supplies from the bag. "I almost forgot, here's the clicker you asked for, all tested and ready to go."

"Thank you so much."

"No problem."

"How did she injure her shoulder?"

"Reports tell me that she said it's from a training accident."

"Liar!" The purple Lenny scoffed. "She didn't go to the training school yesterday. She was in Neopia Central."

"Why would she lie about something like that?" Lord Norheim poured himself more hot chocolate.

"She was doing something she wasn't supposed to."

"What do you mean?"

"It's so obvious, Norheim. She's the spy."

His eyes widened. "Of course! We must dispose of her immediately, then!"

"No. We must squeeze every drop of knowledge and information out of her first. Then we shall dispose of her. We didn't win this time, but that's alright. We must continue to convince and confuse them with patterns of who wins and gains the Oracle's blessing."

"Very well. But what about our agent who was taken into custody in the Seekers' global headquarters?"

"Once they release her, we will interview her and ask her the details of what happened. I know we can trust her." She paused. "As for Sierra, I have an idea that will prove that's she's the spy and has been lying to us the whole time."

"What's that?"

"Simple. We'll give her an assignment."

Norheim smirked, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Sierra!" Damien walked up to her locker.

She shoved some books into her backpack and slammed her locker shut. "What's up, Damien?" She slung her backpack onto her shoulders.

"I just got a message. We need to talk." He motioned for her to follow him to somewhere less crowded. They walked out of the school building, along the paths and to the back end of the gym. They set their backpacks down and Damien opened the letter.

"We can't go to school tomorrow. They want us to go on a mission and we have to be at the mansion by nine in the morning."

"Where are we going?"

"... Well, that's the thing. We're going to the National Neopian Museum."

Sierra's eyes widened. "The Seekers..." she whispered.

Damien nodded slowly. "They want us to go the vaults there. She specifically mentioned that since you know all of the security protocols so we can avoid them."

Sierra hoped he didn't hear her heart pounding. _Keep your cool keep your cool don't give him any hints! _"Alright. Sounds good." She nodded.

"...Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Seriously."

"Seriously! They're testing me, I know it."

"Why would they want to do that?"

"To make sure that I am as loyal to them as I say I am."

Sierra adjusted her dagger belt, then wrapped her thin cloak around her as they approached the back of the Museum. They stopped by the line of trees near the building's edge. Sierra quickly climbed one of the trees.

"The two back doors have an armed guard at each. If we follow the trees along the right, there's an unguarded maintenance door that we can get into undetected. It will be guarded soon though."

"Alright."

She climbed down and they crept along the tree line and through the door. She peeked through the keyhole to make sure the coast was clear, then quietly entered. She motioned for him to follow. They quickly ran through the halls, then stopped at one of the doors for sector four. Damien picked the lock.

Sierra discreetly put a paw in her trousers pocket. _This is it. Let's hope they don't figure it out too soon._ She looked at the ring on her other paw that was turned so the insignia was hidden, then repeatedly pressed the button on the clicker forming "SOS" in morse code. She repeated this pattern six times, then repeated the number "four" six times as she followed Damien through the vaults to the boxes they were looking for. He put on a pair of leather gloves, then began systematically searching through the boxes and pulling out specific papers. Sierra did the same. She took some of the papers they pulled out, neatly folded them and placed them into her shoulder bag hidden by her cloak. She heard rushed, muffled footsteps from the floor above them walking towards the staircase that led to the vaults. Damien looked up, noticing them as well. He quickly placed the lids back on all the boxes, stuffed the papers in his pockets and returned the boxes to their places.

"Security's coming," she breathed. "Someone must have seen us on our way in."

Damien nodded. "She won't be happy about this." They made their way to the center of the room, where the shelves could hide them better, and drew their daggers.

The security team burst through the doors and spread in small groups throughout the room, their footsteps echoing loudly.

"Clear," one group called out on one side of the room.

"Clear," another group called out from the other side.

"Clear." They were getting closer.

"Clear." They would find them now for sure. Sierra and Damien leaned against the boxes.

"Found something!" Three guards had their blasters aimed at them. Damien whipped out his hypnosis amulet and the guards froze with blank faces. He took her wrist and led her towards the hypnotized guards. He turned towards the closest door, but she ripped her paw out of his grasp and turned the other way, placing her dagger back in its sheath. He ran after her as they avoided blaster fire. Suddenly, two security guards appeared from one of the aisles and grabbed them. She struggled to get free, than an idea came to her. She continued struggling as they dragged them to the door, then she jumped up and kicked one of the shelves hard, causing heavy boxes to tumble down. She ducked in time, but Damien and the other guards didn't anticipate it, the boxes hitting them on the head and knocking them to the ground. She stood up and faced the guards pointing their blaster at her. She felt a pang of guilt run through her as she saw Damien lying unconscious on the ground.

"Stop! It's okay, I triggered the alarm," she announced, and held out the clicker. One of the guards approached her, blaster still pointed at her, and she handed the clicker to him. He inspected it.

"Put your blasters down; she's one of us." They all obeyed. She put the clicker back in her pocket.

"Why are you here?"

"I can't explain right now, get Katie, Professor Lambert, or Professor Bellshire to explain. They know, just ask about Sierra Hardingson. They won't be out for much longer, and they need to be treated for concussions." She gestured to the unconscious guards. "Once you do that you need to take him and me into custody. We will be released in time, but he can't know about what happened." She pointed to Damien. She knelt down and ran her paw along his forehead where he was hit, and felt another pang of guilt run through her._ I'm so sorry._ She sat there with him for a moment while the guards regrouped and the hypnotized guards came to their senses. Sierra emptied her shoulder bag and placed the papers on one of the shelves. The guards confiscated their weapons, then picked Damien up and took them out of the vaults and out of the building while she followed. The guards loaded them into a Uni rickshaw, which transported them over the cobbled roads to the dungeons.

Damien moaned and opened his eyes. He raised his paws to his head, not realizing they were handcuffed. "Ow, my head!"

"Hey, shh, it's okay. We'll get some medicine for it in a minute."

"Where are we going?" he asked weakly.

"The dungeons."

"Huh?"

"I'll explain when we get there."

A few minutes later, they were escorted into the dungeons and into a cell. The guards laid Damien down on a cot and placed a bag of ice on his head, then locked their cell. Sierra sat down next to him.

"Hey, can you get him some pain killers or something and some water? His head injury is pretty bad."

One of the guards disappeared for a moment, then returned with a small glass bottle and a glass of water. He supervised them as she dispensed the medicine and offered the tablets and the water to him.

"Take this, it'll help."

He complied obediently, and she handed the bottle back to the guard who then disappeared out of sight.

"Where are we?"

"The dungeons. I kicked the boxes in an attempt to free us, but they knocked you out as well as the other guards. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." He cringed as he tried to sit up.

"No no no, lie back down. You've got a bad head injury." She gently pushed him back down.

He sighed, and adjusted the ice pack on his head.

"Wait, how many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two."

"Is your vision blurry at all?"

"No."

"No concussion, then."

"That's good."

Silence fell between them for a few moments.

"Are they going to come get us?"

"I don't know, but I'm beginning to think that they won't."

"Oh." She paused. "What are they going to do now that we failed? We don't even have the papers we came there for, they took them away."

"I don't know, Sierra." He stared at the ceiling, then turned over to face her. "Whatever it is, we won't like it. She doesn't take failure lightly."

"I still have no idea how the security could have changed so much in only a week. That only usually happens when there are important visitors to the museum, or they're doing special testing in the lab."

"When I went to the mansion to pick up my cloak and get some stuff before I went home, I heard rumors circling that another agent was taken into custody during a mission to the vaults on Monday. There were two people there doing research, and one of them attacked the agent, leaving his or her hands and shoulder cut up."

"Fyora." Her heart pounded. _Stay calm stay calm stay calm!_ "That would most definitely do it." She paused. "How's your head?"

"Hurts like crazy. Apart from that I think it's okay."

"You should get some rest to help it. I'll wake you up if they come."

"I'll try."

"Aww, you poor thing." She patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Is the medicine working yet?"

"No, but I'll be fine."

She leaned back against the cold, gray stone wall and watched the shadows from the flickering candles dance on the walls and the ceiling outside the cell.

_They'll find out eventually. It's simply a matter of time, just like being stuck here is._


	7. Part 6

"You know, the longer we stay here, the more I doubt that they're going to come get us." Damien slowly sat up and slung his legs around the side of the cot and rubbed his head.

"Same here. Do you know what time it is?"

He carefully stood up and looked out the window. "Well, the sun's just set but it's not dark yet so I'd say around eight to eight-thirty. They won't get us if they haven't come yet."

"How do you know?"

"Gut feeling."

"Since when have you had hunches?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"Never mind." She shook her head. "Have you been on missions before?"

He lowered his voice. "I've been on a few, but I've never been on one that failed. I asked my old partner about what happens a long time ago and he just said that one doesn't fail a mission in-" he stumbled. "Yeah. It just doesn't happen," he glanced out the door.

"What happened to your old partner?"

"Got promoted. They moved him from coding to internal intel."

"Oh. Does that happen a lot?"

"Yeah, actually. People get promoted, demoted, or they don't come back and the hierarchy changes slightly."

Some of the guards got up and began murmuring among themselves. Sierra walked up to the door to listen, then returned to Damien. "The guards are going to change soon for the night shift. We need to figure out how on Neopia we're going to get out of here before the day shift arrives," she whispered.

"Yeah. Let's see if there are any hidden panels or something. There's a reason Hanso gets out so easily." They each took a wall and felt each stone for a hidden button or door, or just a loose few stones they could squeeze through. After searching the walls and the floors, with no luck, they both sat down on the cot. Sierra stood up and looked out the window, the fading orange-red light barely illuminating the street above them. She wrapped her paws around the cold metal bars. One of the bars creaked a little, making her jump. She smiled as an idea came to her. She sat down again.

"What is it?" Damien asked.

"I have a plan," she whispered it into his ear and he smirked with her. He nodded and stood up, taking his ice pack with him. He pressed it along the ends of the metal rods and slowly unscrewed them, the ice helping the metal to contract a little.

Sierra loudly paced along the door, her footsteps covering up the creaking bars. She signalled for him to step down, then called out, "'Scuse me, guard, sir?"

One of them walked up to the door. "Whaddya want?"

She motioned to Damien who was clutching his head dramatically. "Can you get him another ice pack? He's still having problems with his head injury."

"Why should I? The otha guards gave 'im another one a coupla hours ago!"

"Well since we're here, and he's still injured, he's technically a liability until he's better. Besides, that one's melted."

"Wha'?" One of the other guards waved him over and murmured an explanation.

"Fine." He walked out of sight.

"Not the sharpest tack in the drawer," she said to Damien.

"Could be why he's on night shift," he offered. He went back to unscrewing the bars, more quickly this time. She motioned to him again as she spotted the guard returning with the other ice pack.

"Here." He gave her the ice pack.

"Thanks." She took it and returned the melted one, then placed it on Damien's head. When the guard walked away they immediately sprang up and placed the new ice pack on the bars. They turned them a little more, then they popped out of their sockets. They set them back in carefully so they wouldn't fall out. They wiped the condensation off onto their pants as they walked up the door, then watched as all the guards except one left their dungeon area. Damien reached into a hidden pocket in the inside of his coat.

"Ready?"

He nodded in response.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Whaddaya want now?" the guard asked irritably.

Damien pulled out a golden amulet and flicked it open. The guard stared at it, mesmerized. "We were never here, nor will you see or hear anything in the next ten minutes. Do not allow your colleagues enter this area during that time either. Do you understand?"

The guard nodded slowly, his expression blank, then turned and walked to the doorway.

"Go go go!" Sierra barked. Damien stuffed the amulet in his pocket. Sierra tore out the metal bars, letting them clink loudly on the floor. She jumped up, using the framework of the cot to help, and squeezed through the window. He did the same and she pulled him out. They sprinted away from dungeons.

"Which way... do we.. need... to go?" she panted.

Damien looked at the fading sunset ahead of them. "Neovia's south-west of the castle, so I'd say that way," he pointed to the far edge of the sunset to their left.

"Do we have... any money... for a rickshaw?"

"No, we'll have to... get there on foot."

"Let's go! It won't... be long until... they see we're gone."

After night fell and they couldn't navigate safely, they stopped in the woods. Petpets skittered in the trees, the rustling leaves breaking the silence as the rest of the world slept around them.

"I'll take the first watch," Damien announced.

"You need to get some sleep. You still have that head injury."

"I was able to sleep a little in the dungeons. You didn't sleep at all."

"Good point," she said, defeated. He sat against a tree while Sierra sat in the dried leaves. "Your paws are shaking."

He looked down at his trembling paws. "Yeah... The whole thing's catching up with me. The getting a head injury, breaking out of jail and using the amulet twice in one day, I mean."

"Better to have them shaking now than when you were using it."

"Good point." He paused. "You need to have the leaves over and around you like a blanket. Helps keep you warm."

Sierra followed his instructions, burying herself in the leaves. "How do you know all this? Solar time-telling and navigation, outdoor survival - I don't get the impression Sway members usually need to know that kind of stuff."

Damien shook his head. "No, usually we don't," he hesitated. "Once there was a time where I had to know that kind of stuff."

"Like you were part of a camping club or something?"

"Ha, I wish," he replied dryly. "It's... Something that I've been trying so hard to forget. But running from the dungeons reminded me of that, those few years that I hate to think about," he stared off into the distance.

"Years? What happened? Maybe talking to someone about it will make you feel better."

He gave her an unconvinced look.

"Well, talking to me about your sister made you feel better, right?"

He sighed. "Fine, but only if you tell me something."

"I'll tell you in the morning. By the way, I have your sister's files on Martha's desk; I got them from the vaults on Sunday night. I found a list of addresses in there."

"Thank you so much!" She thought she saw him flash a smile in the darkness.

"So, what happened?"

His smile faded. "For a while, after I was separated from her, I went through a series of owners that... I didn't stay with any of them for long. They would keep me for a few months, then they'd leave me at the pound, or they'd disappear and people would come and take me to the pound along with my other family members. Once... When I was thirteen, my owner left us and didn't come back for several months. We ran out of food after the first month, and the money tree as well as the soup kitchen were too far away. We were living between Meridell and Brightvale then. I spent a lot of time outside over the years, especially then. I had to..." He cringed at the memories. "I had to get food by... Not the most legal means to get by. I'm not proud of what I did, but it was either that or starve. The area I lived in was really poor and it wasn't uncommon."

"...You were a thief?!" She looked at him with wide, incredulous eyes.

"Some people did worse in that town. Luckily it didn't amount to that for me, we got picked up by authorities and taken to the pound since our owner wasn't coming back. Still..." He shook his head.

"I can't believe... I don't want to believe..."

"What, you think I'm a criminal? Is that it, since you have such a grudge against the Thieves Guild for breaking into your home?" he shot back. "Not all people steal just because they can and they can't be bothered to make money legally. Yeah, there are people out there like that, and I don't like those people either, but I'm not one of them. I regret what I did, surely that's enough for you!" He wrapped his arms around his knees and stared at his shoes.

"Oh, dear Fyora," Sierra whispered, trying to take in all that he said. She shook her head. "I was completely wrong... I'm so sorry. I really am."

"It wasn't always that bad. I've had some really nice owners. But just hopping from owner to owner several times a year, lab rat one day, comfortable the next. It's just a endless cycle and I can't tell who's actually going to be nice to me or who's just another one of them who's going to pick on me."

He wouldn't look at her. She got up, sat next to him and gave a hug. He looked at her for a second, surprised, then hugged her back. He quickly wiped an escaped tear from his face. She looked at him.

"Just a piece of grit," he replied.

"I really am sorry."

He nodded. "I am, too."

Sierra woke leaning against a tree to the sound of the birds singing in the trees as dawn peeked over the horizon. She sat up to find Damien already up and walking towards her with an apple and some blueberries in his paws.

"I found breakfast. There's a stream a little ways ahead of us, too."

"Thanks." She took the apple from him. She stood up and stretched. She watched the light dance around them as they streamed through the leaves of the trees towering above them as they walked to the murmuring brook. She splashed some cool water on her face, dried it with her sleeve and bit into her apple. "How long do you think it will take us to get back?"

"I don't know. We'll probably get back sometime today, though."

"Sounds good. Shall we get going?"

"Sure." They got up and began walking through the forest until they came along a wide, dirt road in the plains. Long grass grew around it and a few rickshaws carrying goods and other 'pets rolled noisily along it. Sierra tossed her apple core next to the rotten piece of fence next to them.

"This is the main route to the Haunted Woods, I think." He looked at the sun. "We need to go this way." He pointed, and they began their journey back to Neovia.

"We're almost there," Damien commented. They could barely see the dark, twisted branches of the Haunted Woods peeking over the horizon. They sat on a fallen log lying on the edge of forest line, the trees creating spotted patterns of light and shadows on their clothes and on the ground by their feet.

"You said you were going to tell me what you were going to say today in return for me telling you something," he said.

Sierra sighed nervously. "The thing is, my secrets have tended to be pretty dangerous recently. I don't mean to sound condescending at all, it's just the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"Like there's a possibility that I won't return home if they catch me in the mansion. I know they won't welcome us with open arms for failing, but they won't let me back at all."

"Why?"

_I have no choice but to tell him now..._ She took a deep breath."Well, I guess I'd better cut to the chase. So you know how there are reports of a spy in the mansion?"

"Yeah?"

_There's no going back now._ "...The spy... It's... It's me." She tensed, preparing to jump up and run yet hoping she wouldn't have to.

He only looked at her, his expression changing from shock and disbelief to anger. He narrowed his eyes at her. "You. I should have known! We failed the mission for a reason then, didn't we? I knew something was wrong the moment we set foot in those vaults."

"Yes, I set off the alarm. That's why they didn't handcuff us. The mission was a test of my loyalty. Why else would they send me somewhere I had spent over a year prior? They wanted to know, so I told them. I'm telling you now. It was all me. I was the one who attacked the agent and got her arrested, my injury was from being shot by her, not from a training accident." Her voice began shaking. "I was with the Seekers all day Monday, trying to find out what you, she, really stand for, that question I asked you that day on the battleground. I don't want to be part of her chess game, nor do I ever intend to." She paused. "There. I've told you everything there is to know."

"You traitor! Just when I thought I could trust you, you betray me, you betray the society-" he stood up, his paws balled into fists in anger. Sierra sprang up, her arms slightly raised impulsively.

"What did I ever do to you?" Her voice cracked unexpectedly. "I gave you genuine consolation and sympathy, help for finding your sister, and I took care of you when the boxes fell and injured you. I told you exactly what you wanted to know. Partners stand up for each other, and never let each other down. You know that, you've had one before. I understand that you may not want to help me. But..." She trailed off, and took a few steps back.

"Why should I trust you now?" he snapped.

"Because I've never done anything to make you not trust me!"

"But you did! You have been all along and I never knew! You've been feeding me, all of us, lies and half-truths to keep us in the dark so you carry out your sinister plan-"

"My _sinister_ plan? Excuse me, finding out the truth about anything is in no way sinister whatsoever! You should look who's talking as the supporter of something far more sinister than either of us could ever imagine! By joining the Sway you've been voluntarily keeping yourself in the dark about the ultimate plan and the ulterior motives behind every seemingly harmless or effectless mission. She's altering history to make sure the outcome is favorable to her! You're caught up in being blind to what I've been doing, but you have no regard for how blind you been to what _she's_ doing? I am doing you and the world a favor by shedding light on this!"

"You are betraying me by betraying the society! It's been the only certain thing I had in uncertain times, and you want to tear it apart?"

"Not everything is about you!"

"Look who's talking!" Fiery anger flashed in his icy eyes.

Sierra gaped at him, his response catching her by surprise. She stepped back, her heart racing, then turned around and bolted. Damien sprinted after her down the road.


	8. Part 7

Sierra ran up the rickety emergency staircase to the hotel she checked into upon her arrival in Neovia, the metal stairs clanking loudly as her feet hit them. She flung the door open on one of the floors and rushed into her room. She bolted the door shut and leaned against it for a moment, panting. She looked at the red and navy striped wallpaper that covered the walls and the matching red rug worn thin around the edges. Her suitcase, still covered in Tyrannian dust, lay on the sofa next to the dark wooden desk .

"Okay. Okay. I'm here. I'm safe for the moment. Okay. I'm okay." She walked over to the navy bed and sat on it, running her paws through her messy hair.

"I gotta regroup now, I've got to. Okay. Okay. I need... A dagger. Right. I gotta head to the armoury, then to mansion to get the files. I can use the files on his sister somehow... Oh Damien, I'm sorry." She buried her face in her paws. "What was I thinking?" Her voice wavered. "Once I get the files I'll leave, get the next rickshaw home. That's what I'll do. I just have to be really careful. Okay." She got up, brushed her hair, tied it back and grabbed her pouch of Neopoints. She gathered up some snacks and water, scribbled a quick neomail to ask for her things to be sent home, then called a weewoo over from the window to deliver the message. She slung her shoulder bag over her shoulder, then finally left the room.

Sierra snatched the binders stuffed with papers from Martha's desk and slid them inside a large beige envelope lined with bubble wrap. She quickly wrote her address on the back after dropping a quick note in it, then slid the package into her shoulder bag. She checked her pocket watch. _Martha will be out of her meeting soon, I'd better go._ She snuck out of the office sector to the maze-like hallways and down a flight of stairs. She placed her paw on the rail as she descended only to find that her paw was covered in a sticky substance that resembled the remnants of spilled coffee. She pulled a disgusted face then snuck into the nearest restroom. She scrubbed her paws at the sink. She dried her paws off, then looked in the mirror. Loose strands of hair fell around her face haphazardly, and she smoothed out the wrinkles in her top and trousers. Her big, brown eyes stared vacantly back at her.

"Oh, Priscilla, quit whining like that!" She heard a voice from outside. She rushed into a stall and locked the door shut. She heard the door open and two girls noisily walked in.

"Whatever's the matter with you, Priscilla?" the voice asked irritably.

"I heard that the high council meeting is tonight at five-thirty and they're going to tell us about the spy that everyone's talking about! I wanna know who it is!" Priscilla complained obnoxiously. "If I find out who it is, then I won't be an amateur insider anymore. I'll be a full-fledged insider like you!"

"You can fluff your hair and flaunt all you like but I am still your older sister and technically your superior even if you get that promotion!" She paused. "Don't make that face at me! Are you done fixing your hair now? We're going to be late!"

They left the restroom bickering, while Sierra waited until she was sure it was safe to emerge from her hiding place. _High Council... That's probably in the Grand Conference Room! I'd better mail this package first._ She reached inside her bag and patted it, then reached her paw further inside her bag and wrapped her hand around something small and rectangular. What's this? She pulled it out and inspected the gray box. Black tape was coiled up inside one of the panels. A series of buttons were on the top: power, record, play, stop, pause, rewind and fast forward. She pulled out a pair of earbuds, a small microphone and a thin, black extension wire from her bag where the cassette recorder sat. She smirked. _Maybe I should wait to send it._

"Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow members," began the Duchess. She, along with ten other members of the executive council, was seated at the large, round mahogany table in the Grand Conference room. She discreetly adjusted herself on the plush, black leather chair as she scanned the expressions on the councilmen and women's faces. Norheim sat to her right and gave her a concerned look.

"I have called you to this meeting to discuss two important matters. I shall begin first with current plans. How did the analysis of the Obelisk go?"

"Very well. We are gaining progress on understanding the Obelisk from our findings a few skirmishes ago and from reports from members in the Order. Everything is still on schedule. Here are the reports on our progress as requested." A yellow Yurble handed Norheim a folder, who then handed it to the Duchess. "Recent developments from past research have shown that the magical power emanating from the light source deep inside the Obelisk possesses a huge amount of energy, enough to light every building in Neopia for several years if not longer if it is dispersed properly. Once we gain temporary access to the Obelisk through winning a skirmish, preliminary small scale testing should be ready."

"Excellent." The Duchess thumbed through the papers briefly, then looked up. "Continue your research on aerial energy and magic dispersal. It will be needed to power the device as well as to be able to disperse the energy throughout Neopia."

"Yes, my lady." The Duchess looked up to the Ruki sitting next to the Yurble.

"The device is almost complete, my lady. We are still dealing with some technical difficulties.

"Well, fix the difficulties faster! Now, how about the maps?"

A Draik handed Norheim a folder. "All of the vault maps in all of the faction regional and global headquarters, universities and museums have been updated. Our missions to gain intelligence on updated security have been postponed since two of our contacts have been hospitalized for Neomonia."

"That is... unfortunate. Set the exchange for Saturday at the usual place. If they are not better by then, we can make alternative arrangements. Operation Master can't wait for them."

"Yes, your Ladyship."

"Speaking of intelligence, how is our general collection going?"

"Very well. After the next three missions we should have enough to begin compiling the messages to be dispersed via the device and the other means."

"Good." The Duchess paused to organize and neatly stack the folders given to her.

"Now, for the other matter I have call you here to discuss: we have discovered a problem in the past hours. It seems that young Agent Nova, also known as Sierra Hardingson and a former member of the Seekers, has submitted her article series to _The Neopian Times_ without our knowledge or consent. This would not be a major issue under normal circumstances, but her article series has proved to be incredibly important in our research and development departments. However, she decided to ensure that we do not have sole access to this source, but that everyone has access to such information and thus making it useless to us. This is a direct act of defiance on her part."

Small gasps and discreet exclamations of surprise were heard around the room.

"Now, yesterday we sent her on a mission to the Seekers headquarters from which she has not returned. However, her partner Agent Night, who is known in our coding department, returned and informed us that the mission was unsuccessful due to security capturing them before they could successfully gain the documents. He also mentioned that Agent Nova had disappeared after he sustained a head injury and they escaped from the dungeons. He did not say whether this failure was intentional or how he lost track of her, and we did not ask since he is being treated for said injury. I believe that it was intentional, and this proves that she is the spy we are looking for."

Everyone began murmuring worriedly among themselves. "She must be eliminated as soon as we find her!" one member called out.

"She must be found and disposed of, that is certain. However, if we use the right... Tactics, per se, we shall be able to gain more information from her than we already have. Saunders, set up a medium-sized search team that will set out tomorrow. Ensure that you tell them that she must be returned alive. Wilkinson, gather your team and collect all files on her so preliminary interrogation questions can be compiled. I shall be conducting the main interview. Thorley, keep a close eye on Mr. Valius, and monitor all of his incoming and outgoing correspondence. If he leaves the premises send an agent to follow him. The rest of you shall continue on with your current assignments, but alert all agents that they are required to turn her in should they find her. Norheim, you stay with me. I need to have a word with you. That is all. Meeting dismissed." Everyone rose from their seats and chattered quietly among themselves as they began heading for the door.

Sierra yanked the microphone's wire to free the device from its hiding place in the wall. She hurriedly pulled it towards her and under the gap in the door. She heard the conference room open and the council filing out into the hallway. _Just in time._ She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She played back a short piece of the recording to make sure it worked, then rewound the tape, unplugged her headset and the extension wires attached to the mic and placed them into her shoulder bag. She sat against the closet wall, trying to let everything she heard sink in. _I was right. They're up to something big, and it's all going to unfold soon._

She peeked under the door, then once she was sure the coast was clear she carefully and quietly stood up, opened the door and left the closet. She looked at the hallways and doors around her. _Oh crud, where's the hallway to one of the doors?_ She retraced her steps to the main floor hallway, where she recognized where she was. _The front door's the only one where I can leave without suspicion._ She walked down the main flight of stairs, using her coat hood to hide her face. At the door, and then the gate, she showed her ring to the guards and they let her out without any questions.

She hailed a rickshaw to the main Neovian square. Night had fallen, and tattered 'pets were climbing up the lampposts to light the kerosene lamps. The dark roofs and upper floors of the buildings almost disappeared against the dark, cloudy sky. Cool mist hung low in the air and nipped at her cheeks. She turned into a street which led to the Post Office when a moving shadow caught her eye. She whirled around, then leaned against the cold stone wall behind her. Her heart pounded. _What was that?_ Her paw impulsively moved to her dagger handle. She saw the shadow move again, this time slowly moving towards her. It saw her, no doubt.

"Hello?" she called out quietly.

The shadow reached up and pulled its sweatshirt hood down. "Sierra?"

"Damien," she replied shortly. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. Everyone wants to find you, you know."

"I know. Have you made up your mind?"

"About what?"

"Are you going to side with me or them? I just overheard a meeting where a lot of stuff is revealed. They're planning something big, and it's going to affect the whole world."

"Sure you did."

"I have it recorded." She pulled out the recorder and the earbuds. She rewound the tape, plugged in the earbuds and handed them to him. "Listen to the first part."

He stood next to her and took them. She watched his expressions subtly change as he listened. Once he finished he handed them back to her, eyes wide. He stood there for a moment, speechless, taking deep, shaky breaths. "You were right. I've been so blind," he whispered finally, struggling to collect his thoughts. "I have a vague idea of what they're doing, and I don't think I want to be a part of it anymore. I've been thinking about what you said, about being pawns in their chess game and being kept in the dark."

"What are they up to?"

He walked further into the shadows with her, then whispered into her ear.

"I encoded and decoded a lot of correspondence between agents and others outside of the Sway. They're planning some sort of psychological attack on Neopia using the Obelisk and maybe other things we find in the future, I'm not sure. They've been strategically manipulating history so they can catch us in our weakest moment, like if the economy's on the verge of collapse directly after a war that drained the economy, resources or something along those lines. Once the attack commences, havoc and chaos ensues and they, or a group manipulated by them will be the only one able to control the situation and maintain order. Then they gain full domination on Neopia and because of the attack most won't even know it or be able to do anything to retaliate. It's all a hypothesis, if you will."

Sierra couldn't hold in a gasp. "Oh, Fyora."

She turned to face him. "We've got to stop them, or delay them at least."

He nodded. "You've been doing just that," he paused, then said finally, "I want to help you, Sierra."

"I don't want to drag you into this too much. They're looking for me, and if they see you with me, let alone helping, your life is going to be in as much danger as mine already is. They're monitoring you, watching your actions and correspondence and everything." She paused. "I'm mailing the recorder, the files on your sister, and some other stuff back home. Isobel is going to take your sister's files out and mail the rest to Brightvale. I'll be right back."

She slipped into the post office, dropped the recorder inside the package and sealed it, then handed it to the cashier and paid for the postage. She walked outside to see that Damien had vanished, but a note was left where he stood. She picked it up and opened it. It was in his messy, rushed print.

_Run._

She suddenly heard footsteps echoing down the street, growing louder as they approached her. She bolted, keeping the note scrunched in her paw. She pulled her hood up as she dashed into the main square and headed for the Eyrie taxis.

"Mom? Mom, lemme in!" She frantically knocked on the door. Isobel opened it, and Sierra gave her a quick hug before hurrying in.

"Sierra, what's going on? I thought you weren't returning until tomor-"

"We need to leave right now. All of us. They've figured out that I'm the spy, and they're after me. We're not safe here."

Isobel's green eyes widened. "I'll pull Zane out from school. You get what you need and we'll take an Eyrie taxi to the vacation house when I get back."

"Sounds like a plan. I have something I need to buy, then I'll pack and get Tyler. Can we leave in forty minutes?"

"Sure."

"Why are we here, mama?" Tyler looked at her with big, brown, curious eyes.

Isobel sighed. "We're hiding from some people that Sierra doesn't like." She sat at the light-wooden kitchen table. The kitchen and the living room were various shades of green and gold. The bright, Mystery Island sun flooded through the white, sheer curtains that hung above the windows.

"So we're playing a game of hide and seek?"

"...I guess so. But we can't ever let them find us, especially her."

"Why?"

"She knows something they don't want her to, a secret."

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

He cocked his head in thought as he idly played with a few figurines.

Zane sat down at the table with with a sandwich and a glass of apple juice. "When will we be able to go back home, Mom?"

"I don't know. Soon, hopefully. Where's Sierra?"

"In her room still. I think she was taking a shower earlier."

"Oh."

Sierra marched downstairs wearing jeans, a T-shirt and worn sneakers. Her long, brown hair was wrapped in a towel and a hoodie was tied around her waist. She grabbed a glass of water and sat with the rest of them at the table. "It's nice to be back here, isn't it? We haven't been here in a while."

"Yeah," Isobel replied. An awkward silence fell between the four of them.

A shadow fell on Sierra, making her jump. She froze and slowly stood up. She spotted the silhouette of a pet outlined in the curtain.

"Look," she whispered, pointing.

"Shoul-"

"Shh!"

"Should we answer it?" Zane whispered.

Sierra shook her head. They were all standing on the beige tiles now. She unwrapped the towel around her hair and set the towel on the chair next to her, combing her hair with her fingers.

Someone knocked on the door suddenly, making them all jump. Isobel began leading Zane and Tyler upstairs. They heard another knock a short moment later.

"Faction Investigative Services, open up!"

Sierra restrained a gasp, grabbed her weapons and her shoulder bag and hid inside the closet underneath the staircase. She carefully slid the dagger sheath and the new blaster holster on her belt on opposite sides.

They knocked on the door again. "Faction Investigation services, open up, Miss Hardingson!"

Everything was silent for a moment, then the door burst open. She held her breath and hoped they couldn't hear her heart racing. She peered through the lock hole and saw three pets dressed entirely in black disperse through the house, blasters aimed.

"Clear," one said from the other side of the house.

"Clear."

"Clear." She heard one walk upstairs.

"Clear." The incident in the vaults with Damien flashed before her eyes. She winced and shook her head, trying to fling the memory from her mind. She pushed a box against the door, inched towards the back of the closet and opened the escape tunnel hatch. She picked up her pace as she trotted towards the entrance, ducking to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling. A clanging sound echoed through the tunnel as the closet door was forced open.

_They'll be in here soon..._ She sprinted towards the ladder that led up to the manhole cover in the alley.

"There!" She heard one of them say. She climbed up the ladder and struggled to open the manhole cover. Footsteps rapidly approached her as she gave the cover one final shove, popping it open.

"Get her, quick!"

A shot was fired into the dark.


	9. Part 8

Sierra wove her way through the busy marketplace, hoping to blend in with the crowd. She quickly scribbled a SOS message to the Seekers and sent it off with a nearby weewoo, ensuring to not put a return address. She continued discreetly weaving her way through the crowd to the other side and picked up a snack along the way. It was beginning to get dark and the crowd was dispersing to various cafés and restaurants for dinner or making their way back home. She walked into a café with a large group, headed for the restrooms then swerved for the back door. She tied her damp hair back and put on her hoodie as she walked down the steps to the dusty clearing with a few palm trees dotted around the edge. She trotted into the alleys, the neighborhood just as shady as the alley in the quickly dwindling sunlight. She paused for a moment, and dared to sit against one of the clay and mud walls.

"What if we don't find her-"

"Shut up, she could hear you! She's on the island and she could be anywhere."

"Gee, I'm sorr-"

"I said shut up!"

She slowly stood up as she heard their faint voices. She trotted in the opposite direction, then broke into a run. She could hear their gait slowly speeding up as well behind her, their heavy boots pounding into the dirt louder and louder and-

"Hey, you! Turn around!" She bolted, sharply winding through the narrow streets and alleys. From their heavy boots she could tell they weren't familiar with the island, so she hoped she could lose them somewhere.

The glowing reds, oranges and yellows of the sunset had faded and a dark, not quite navy blue filled the sky above her. She ducked behind a house and ran across the narrow opening between the wooden fence and the house next to it to a different alley. She quickly glanced behind her, they were nowhere to be found. _Did I lose them?_ She could hear their footsteps still, though they were much fainter. She kept running, slowing down only a little. She passed a couple of alleys along the street she turned into when a paw reached out and pulled her to the alleyway. "Let me go!" She struggled to get her arm free.

"Sierra! Sierra, it's me!" His familiar voice rang even though it was merely a whisper.

She looked into his eyes. "Damien! Thank Fyora!" She heaved a sigh of relief and hugged him tightly. "How did you get here?"

He led her further into the alley as the footsteps approached, and they ducked down behind a wooden dumpster as the pursuers passed and the footsteps faded out into the distance. He checked to make sure the coast was clear.

"We've got to get you off the island. The more time they spend looking for you, the more agents they'll send to join the search. If we can make it to a small port town then we might be able to catch a boat there. The main ones are heavily guarded at this point."

"Okay. I sent a distress signal out with no return address, but they know where I am. I don't know if they'll get here in time and I don't want to rely on them." They tiptoed back into the alley, staying in the shadows against the building walls.

"Oh, I have something for you." She pulled a second blaster in its holster out of her bag and handed it to him. "Our daggers won't be enough to protect us this time."

He gingerly took it and clipped it to his belt, then hugged her. "Thank you."

They silently ventured out into the maze of narrow streets once again.

"How'd you get here?" she asked again, being careful to keep her voice down.

"When I heard you disappeared and that you were most likely in Mystery Island, I followed the agents sent there to hunt you down. It was just a matter of time before I found you since I knew you wouldn't stay in your house for long."

"They have my owner and my brothers. They couldn't get out."

Damien's eyes widened. "They've probably got them under house arrest now. How much did they know?"

"Not much. They knew the basics on what I was doing and why. I didn't tell them what I found out or anything like that."

"For their sake I hope the Seekers get here soon."

"Why?"

"Interrogations aren't pretty."

"Oh, Fyora." Her mind swam and began slowing down.

"C'mon, we have to keep going."

They kept walking briskly for what seemed to be several hours, taking a couple of short breaks to rest and eat a snack. They suddenly came across a large sign. Sierra pointed a flashlight at it.

"It says that a harbor is a quarter of a mile away."

"We need to be careful, they're going to be heavily guarded."

She nodded as they kept walking with their eyes peeled. A slight breeze rustled the leaves on the trees, and Sierra's paw moved to her blaster. They slowed down, avoiding the open torches lighting the streets as the marina came into view. She thought she saw a few guards standing near some of the docks. She silently alerted Damien and pointed to them. Damien nodded and kept his paw close to his blaster as well.

"How do we get out of here now? They'll see us if we try to get a boat," she whispered in his ear.

"I don't don't know. We need to find a place to hide, that's for sure."

She nodded, and they cut into a narrow street as the faint voices of the guards rose. They picked up their pace a little as they approached the end of the street. They peeked around the corners before exiting into another road.

"Hey! Hey!" one of the guards called out and pointed at them. Sierra cursed under her breath and they broke into a sprint out into the main road. They dove into a nearby street, their blasters drawn and locked, when they were met by three guards. They fired their blasters and they collapsed unceremoniously to the ground one after another, stunned. They kept their backs against the wall and their blasters aimed as they crept along further into the street. She motioned with her head that she would take the end of the street leading to the main road and for him to take the other end, and he nodded. Guards appeared from both sides of the street and Damien and Sierra fired at them in quick succession, dodging their return fire. Just when they thought that no more guards were coming, suddenly two emerged from Damien's side of the street and attacked them. Sierra fired at them while Damien wrestled one of them, but they seemed to be wearing armor. Sierra shot the one Damien was wrestling in the head, and he collapsed before Damien. He looked at her with fearful eyes and opened his mouth to speak when she whirled around and barely dodged a punch from a guard, knocking the blaster from her paws. She dodged another swing and kicked him, blocking his blows with her arms. Damien rushed forward to help her but another guard appeared and grabbed him. He roughly wrenched Damien's arms behind his back. Sierra glanced worriedly at him.

"Sierra!" She was suddenly knocked down by a blow to the head. She struggled to get up as the guard kicked her and attempted to punch her again, then she drew her dagger and slashed at his legs. She sprang up and the guard grabbed her wrists, trying to knock her down again. She resisted with all her might as her muscles screamed for oxygen and her head felt fuzzy from the punch. The guard twisted her dagger arm, making her shout involuntarily in pain and the dagger clattered to the ground. The guard shoved her against the wall and wrenched her arms behind her back. She turned her head to squint at him.

"It's all over for you, traitor. Fighting's pointless now."

"It's never over!" She struggled to break free, but he had already handcuffed her and had both paws against her back. Two more guards walked into the narrow street to help restrain them.

"It doesn't have to come to this, Victor," Damien desperately announced. She looked at him, and his eyes were filled with fear. He winced as the other guard roughly pulled him back.

"Damien Valius, what on Neopia are you doing helping this traitor? Have you been brought to the dark side, too?" Victor asked coldly. "I used to know this boy a long time ago. We weren't partners, but he was still a big pain in the tail," he told her.

"Sierra, believe or not, is my friend. And you have it all wrong: you are the ones on the dark side, being manipulated, and we are the ones who know the tru- Ow!" Damien stumbled as the guard kicked him in the ankle.

"I'll take that as a yes. Now, I would take both of you out right here and now, but we have orders to bring both of you back alive to be interrogated. The more you resist, the less time you will have to be alive. Understood?"

"Yes," Sierra and Damien replied. They looked at each other, unsure what was going to happen. Her stomach tied itself into knots. They were roughly escorted out of the street and onto the main road towards the marina. They were directed onto a small, covered boat where their handcuffs were clipped to metal rings on the side of the boat. The last thing she saw was a white blindfold being wrapped around Damien's face before being blindfolded herself and blacking out.

Sierra woke to find herself in a dark, dank cell on a cot protruding from the stone wall. She shifted uncomfortably. Dim light streamed through the thick bars in the top half of the door, while the bottom half was sheet metal. She sat up slowly to find that she was alone, save for the sound of footsteps echoing in the halls and a petpet skittering across the floor. She set her paws in her lap, and twisted the Sway insignia ring around her finger so the insignia was showing. Her stomach grumbled, and she slowly stood up to the door, wrapping her fingers around the cold bars.

"Hey! Hey!" Her voice echoed eerily. She heard some of the guards murmuring about her being awake. The barred half of the door swung open and an outstretched arm offered a small tray of food and a cup of water. She gingerly took it and the door half immediately closed and was locked with a loud clang. She sat back down on the cot with her food. She carefully inspected it, searching through the oatmeal with her spoon and breaking the toast into bite-sized bits. She swirled the water in the cup and sniffed it, then carefully took a small sip._Tastes alright. After all, they do want me alive for some reason._ She slowly ate the food and washed it down with the water. She waited a couple of minutes before standing. _Couldn't have been anything suspicious in it. I don't feel strange._ She shrugged and stood up, walking around in her cell. _I wonder if Damien is okay._ She walked over to the door, examining the hallway as best as she could. A guard stood near her door, and the others were sitting at a long table against the wall eating breakfast.

"Hey!" The guard turned to her.

"What do you want?"

"How long was I knocked out?"

"About eight hours."

_Yikes._ "When am I being interrogated?"

"Why do you keep asking so many questions?"

"Humor me. I don't want to cause trouble if that's what you're worried about."

He sighed exasperatedly. "In about an hour."

"Where's Damien Valius?"

He hesitated, briefly turned to the other guards, then turned to face her again. "I don't know."

"You're lying, I can tell. Where is he?"

"In a cell, like you."

"But where?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

'I said, I can't tell you." A hint of anger rose in his voice.

"If your partner and friend was locked in a dungeon somewhere, wouldn't you want to know where he or she is?"

"For the last time, I can't tell you!"

"Fine, fine," she grumbled, defeated. She sat back down on the cot. She took the spoon and scratched small doodles into the stone with the handle, hoping to pass the time.

"My lady?"

"Come in, Norheim."

The door to the Duchess' private study swung open silently and he walked in. The purple Lenny was seated in a black velvet armchair facing an ornate, wooden coffee table and an identical black chair. To her right sat her brown, wooden chess board, the black and white pieces meticulously arranged and perfectly centered on the squares. The black pawns, many of which were closest to her, seemed to be arranged in a pattern among the slightly more random white pieces around the king, queen and a knight. The single black queen piece stood in the center of the first row, unmoved from its original position. As Norheim took a seat across from her, she opened the small drawer in the board, glanced at the white pawns and rooks inside, and closed the drawer again. "What news do you bring that can't be expressed in mail?"

"I have received word that Agents Nova and Night have been located and are in custody."

"Good." She gently picked up one of her black pawns on the board and placed it one square closer to another pawn. "Have they been separated?"

"Yes, my lady. What do you plan to do with them after the interrogations are over?"

She looked at him coldly. "What we always do with traitors. However, this situation is different so slightly different measures may need to be taken."

"What do you mean?"

"Under normal circumstances, those who betray us are members that we have chosen ourselves and thus have no affiliation with any other faction. However, Miss Hardingson was previously a member of the Seekers as you already know, but she had a higher status than we initially realized. If we dispose of her while she is in our custody, it will certainly cause an uproar among those emotional creatures and will cause problems in future acquisition missions."

"We must make sure she stays quiet in the meantime."

She rose and paced between the chess board and her desk. "Yes. If circumstance requires that we must dispose of her, our agents who keep an eye on her will know, report back, and so arrangements can be made so it will look like an accident."

"What of Valius? If something happens to him, surely she will attempt to take revenge."

"As any overtrusting friend would," The Lenny shook her head in contempt, then took out a piece of paper, dipped the tip of her black quill in a pot of ink and wrote a quick note. She then folded the note up, sealed it with her signature wax stamp, and handed it to Norheim. This has all of the instructions for those down there. Deliver it personally."

"Yes, my lady." He rose and left the room, and the Duchess' gaze fell to the chess game she'd been playing for sixty years and that her predecessors had been playing for over two millennia.

_Soon._

After a while, the guards opened the door and two walked in, handcuffed Sierra and escorted her out of the cell and down a long, dark hallway.

"Where are we going?"

"Don't ask questions," one of them replied. They kept going and turned down another hallway, where she was led into a entirely grey room. The door was exactly the same as the door on her cell. Their shoes clicked on the concrete floor. In the middle of the room, there were two white chairs at a white table. White lanterns on each wall lit the room. She sat down and noticed a dark red stain under the table. _What is that?_ She sprang up and backed away from it until her back was almost against the painted wall.

She heard, hushed, concerned voices outside.

"No, no, it is imperative that I conduct the interrogation."

"But, my lady, we do not know how dangerous she is-"

"I do, and she will not prove to be any difficulty for me. Keep the top section of the open, but make sure no one else can hear our conversation."

"Yes, my lady." The door swung open, and the Duchess walked in regally. Sierra bowed her head slightly.

"My lady."

"Miss Hardingson, Agent Nova." The purple Lenny glared at her contemptuously and walked in front of her to the far side of the table.

"Why do you still want me alive? Why do you want to interrogate me?"

"You are still a valuable source of information, despite your traitorous behavior."

"I have nothing else to offer, so you might have some trouble getting anything out of me."

"I highly doubt that."

"I've contributed to your plans enough. I won't be a pawn in your twisted game anymore."

"How much do you know?"

"Enough to deduce that even though you have carefully crafted the appearance that you are influencing Neopian History and every part of life for good and to maintain peace, you're just another group in the power struggle over Neopia."

"How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Listen, insolent child. You are going to completely and thoroughly answer all of my questions or you will have severe consequences. Do you understand?"

She sighed. _I guess I might as well tell her the truth. My cover is completely blown anyway. _"What do you want to know?"

"How did you come to your conclusion?"

"I doubt you will like my answer, but here you are anyway. The high council meeting. You know, your private conference room really needs better soundproofing, and that hole in the wall needs to be fixed, too." She kept her gaze locked on the Duchess'.

"You eavesdropped on the council meeting!" The Duchess squinted at her.

"That's right."

"How long did you listen to it?"

"Half an hour, maybe? I wasn't keeping track of the time."

"I see. Where were you all day on Monday? I know where you went, but I want to hear it from your lips."

"I went home first, then I went to the National Neopian Museum, then I went home again, then I submitted my article to the Neopian Times, then I went to Brightvale University. After that I went home for the last time. Oh yeah, I had a friend analyse the contents of the hot chocolate that was offered to me. Magic-encrypted Sodium Thiopental, really? Did you really think that I would drink enough so that the drug would work on me and get me to talk? Also, since you may be wondering, it was me who was with Katie in the vaults, attacked one of your agents, and sounded the lockdown alarm."

"Traitorous fool!" she spat venomously.

"I have my loyalties, and from the beginning they never lay with you and your malevolent organization." Anger welled up inside her. "You think this all just a game, and it's only a matter of time before you use all of your own pawns to take down the pawns of others, and eventually the knights and bishops before you take the crown yourself. Believe it or not, once everyone finds out what you're really doing, everyone will be jumping to oppose you, even your own pawns whom you have manipulated, brainwashed, and kept in the dark. I won't let that happen. We won't let that happen. My infiltration was only to learn more about you so the Seekers can be rid of their name as cannon fodder, intellectuals who can't swing a sword, much less win the Obelisk. However, as I found out more I knew something was amiss, and boy was I right. I made it my job to not just find out what you were doing, but to stop you." Sierra balled up her paws into fists in her pockets, but shifted her balance to her other leg nonchalantly.

"It is for the benefit of Neopia!"

"World domination is not for the benefit or in the best interest of Neopia!"

She paused, the Duchess fuming yet still standing tall and poised with her head held high. Both of them said nothing, the tension rising between them. Sierra took her paws out of her pockets, pulled the ring off of her finger and tossed it to the Duchess' feet. The tinkling sound broke the silence as it echoed through the room.

"Checkmate."


	10. Part 9

The Duchess eyed her, and slowly bent down to retrieve the ring. Sierra grabbed the chair closest to her and hurled it at the Duchess. She held a feathered hand up and the chair stopped in its tracks and clattered to the ground, and Sierra was thrown against the door like a rag doll. The purple Lenny stood up, drew herself to her full height and shook her head.

"Foolish child," she spat. She righted the chair and returned it to its place at the table. Sierra's muscles and head ached from the impact of the metal. She stood up and glared at the Duchess. The Lenny resumed the interrogation.

"We know about your unique position in the Seekers, as you already know. Why did you temporarily give it up to infiltrate us?" She spat out "infiltrate" as if it was filled with poison.

"The dream you sent me made me curious. I volunteered to do it, considering you conveniently made other members disappear who did the same thing. One of us was starting to learn the truth, and so you did... whatever you do with those you dislike. Kill them, send them off on a deserted island with no form of communication. Brainwash them and make them forget everything about their former lives. I don't know, but you did one of those things, didn't you? I wanted to learn the truth because we were so close, yet so far."

"Curiosity killed the Kadoatie, however." The Duchess echoed Norheim's words.

"But I'm not dead though, am I?"

"Not yet."

A shiver ran down Sierra's spine, and her stomach twisted itself into knots. _Dear Fyora, don't let that happen to me! _She opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't.

"What were you doing in the Sway's vaults immediately after you left the battleground Sunday night?"

"I was searching for a few files on Damien Valius' missing little sister. They haven't seen each other in several years and I promised that I would help reunite them."

"Ah, that reminds me: much does your friend, Mister Valius or Agent Night, know?"

"Not much. He's an excellent cryptographer and he decoded a lot of correspondence, but he certainly doesn't know as much as I do." _I must keep him safe, for he did the same for me._

She didn't look convinced. "I know what happened in the vaults. Why-"

"How?"

"I am asking the questions here, not yo-"

"How do you know? The vaults were immediately locked as soon as the alarm went off, only accessible by a special key so the guards can get in."

"Do not interrupt me!" The Duchess shot her a glare. "Why did you set off the alarm?

"Sabotage, of course. Why else would I do it? You wanted to test my loyalties, and so I told you where they lay," she smirked defiantly, desperately trying to hide that her whole body was trembling beneath her oversized sweatshirt.

"How did you do it?"

"Something a friend made."

"What was it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Let me repeat the question: what was the device that allowed you to remotely set off the alarm, and who made it?"

"I'm not telling you."

"There will be consequences if you don't fully cooperate with me."

"I know."

"Insolent child! You shall tell me what this device is immediately!"

"No."

The Duchess swiftly took out a golden amulet, opened it, and pointed it towards her. Sierra turned her head away, slightly tempted to stare into its hypnotic depths. She closed her eyes and shook her head, chuckling dryly. "If you knew anything about me, you would know that I already know how to resist those things, even yours."

She heard the amulet close and she opened her eyes to confirm it. The Duchess was no longer holding the amulet.

"I find your intelligence rather... annoying, Miss Hardingson," she said coldly.

"Why, thank you."

The Duchess glowered at her. "Even so, I'm more intelligent than you, and I've had enough of your brash retorts. Now, I still don't believe you on how much Mister Valius knows. He told me the same thing but I believe both of you are lying. He knows full well who you are and what you were doing, and willingly helped you, making him as much as a traitor as you are for assisting a conspirator."

"He barely knew anything, I swear! He's innocent! It was my fault for allowing him to be dragged into this while he didn't know what was going on!"

The Duchess dismissed her pleas. "Guards, bring him in and do as I told you."

"Where is he? Is he okay? What are you going to do to him?"

"Silence! I am the one asking questions here, not you!"

"I have a right to know!"

Three guards walked with Damien as he emerged from the left side of the hallway, one of them with a paw clamped tightly around his arm. His paws were handcuffed in the front.

"Sierra! You're alright!" He wrenched his arms as hard as he could from the guards and dashed towards the interrogation cell. He stuck his paws through the spaces between the bars and Sierra held them tightly with her own.

"Damien, I'm so glad to see you!" The guards took his arms and tried to pull him away from her. They held their paws tighter. "Stop it, just let me speak to him!" She begged, only to be ignored. His grip on her paws slipped, and he desperately grabbed onto the metal bars. She grabbed onto his wrists, and looked into his fear-filled eyes. His handcuffs scraped against the metals bars, and made a screeching sound that made her wince.

"Listen to me, Sierra. I don't know what they're going to do, but I'm pretty sure that both of us will be alright. Just don't lose hope, ever. We will prevail!"

"I am so sorry I dragged you into this, Damien. All of this is my fault. I never wanted you to get hurt, you know that," tears welled in her eyes. "I just, I just can't believe that this is happening, that it has to come to this... It doesn't have to come to this, whatever this is!"

His paws slipped again and he grabbed onto her wrists. "No, it doesn't have to come to this!" he repeated her words. Sierra felt a force pulling her back as well. She stole a glance behind her and saw the Duchess calmly holding up a hand towards her and her fingers moving slightly back and forth. She looked at Damien again.

"They're all trying to separate us, her too."

"I know, I can feel it. Just..." He lowered his voice as best he could. "Don't let her break your spirit. She'll do everything in her power to destroy your determination. She's done that to everyone who opposes her. You're stronger than her, I know it."

"Don't let them destroy you, too. You're stronger than I am. We can make it, can't we?"

They suddenly lost grip on each other's wrists and they staggered back. The guards kept Damien from falling, and then wrestled him to his feet. They half-dragged him down the hall to a door. Sierra rushed back to the interrogation room door and peered through the bars as best as she could. "Damien! Damien!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

"Don't lose hope, Sierra! Stay strong!" he shouted back.

"Damien, no!" They led him into the room at the end of the hallway and closed the door behind them. She heard a slight scuffling noise, then a loud blaster shot partially muffled by the walls. Everything went quiet. She gripped onto the metal bars of the door, trying to keep her balance as her brain struggled to put together what happened, the room spinning. Realization suddenly hit her like a brick to the face.

_"DAMIEN! NO!"_ she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice suddenly hoarse. She shook the door, the rattling hinges echoing. She stared, fixated on the door for a moment, knowing one of her closest friends was in there lying on the ground.

_"Nooooo! Nooooo! Damien! Noooooo..."_ Her screams turned into sobbing. She slowly lowered herself to the ground in the corner, crumpling defeatedly. She buried her paws in her face until her tears dripped onto her jeans and the floor. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and wiped her paws on her jeans. She glared at the Duchess and gritted her teeth. She slowly stood up, her legs wobbly. Everything spun around her and her vision refused to focus but she kept her gaze locked on the Lenny.

"So this is your way of getting me to talk, huh?" Sierra staggered towards her, her paws balled tightly into fists. "Is that it, you villainous, murderous _monster!_ You-"

"Continue to disobey me and your best friend will be next. I have her in custody along with your owner and brothers on the other side of the complex. I am incapable of killing your owner for it would create... problems, but I can arrange so she cannot have custody of you and you will never see her again," The Duchess interrupted, seeming unfazed.

"No!" She charged and took a swing at her. The Duchess merely grabbed her wrist and sat her down in the chair. Sierra hung her head.

"Don't hurt them," she croaked quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't hurt them, please, I beg you," Sierra repeated. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She brought her feet up onto the chair and hugged her knees tightly, her claws digging into her jacket and into her skin, as if clinging to herself would help her cling onto her sanity. _Don't lose hope, Sierra. Stay strong._ She gasped as his last words echoed in her mind.

"He's... he's... I can't believe... But... He's... He can't be..." She dug her claws deeper into her arms.

"Yes, Damien Valius is dead." The Duchess' words were like a knife to her heart and her stomach. She couldn't stand the way the Lenny said it so plainly and coolly, like she was remarking about the weather.

She shook her head slowly, then violently, not entirely sure why but half-hoping it would fling the truth away, or that it would wake her from a horrendous nightmare.

A blue Draik walked up to the room and knocked on the wall next to the door as the Lenny stood up, Sierra assumed, to continue.

"My Lady?" Sierra turned to look at her, and she looked at Sierra sympathetically.

"What is it, Bamforth?"

"I don't believe Miss Hardingson is in any mental condition to be interrogated further, she is clearly in shock by the... series of events. I believe it would be in her and your best interest to have her return to her cell and let her get some food and rest for a few days before the interrogation is continued. What do you think about this, my lady?"

"Fine, but the interrogation shall be continued tomorrow afternoon."

"But, my lady-"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

The Draik sighed. "Very well, my lady." The guards let her in and she gently escorted Sierra out of the room back to her cell. Sierra sat on her cot and hugged her legs, resting her jaw on her knees. Bamforth sat down next to her.

"Who are you?" Sierra asked quietly.

"I'm a psychologist who works here. I'm very sorry about what happened."

"No, you're not."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not sorry, you're just putting on a show to make me feel better so you can get me to talk. You're not sorry, no one is here," she shrank away a little.

"I really am sorry. I don't agree with some of her Ladyship's interrogation tactics, but I still respect her." The Draik paused. "What's your name?"

"Sierra Hardingson."

"Damien's friend."

She turned to look at her. "How did you know?"

"I helped Damien a lot when he first joined. He was going through a rough time, you know. He came to my office like he used to a lot last Monday and he talked about you."

"What did he say?"

"He said he found one of the few people that he could truly trust that wasn't me. He really appreciated your friendship, and he was so happy that you were helping him locate his sister."

Tears welled in Sierra's eyes again. "I never wanted him to get hurt. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I just wanted to learn more, a typical Seeker who took things too far. It's all my fault that he's, he's gone now. Oh, Fyora..." She began sobbing again.

Bamforth handed her a handkerchief. "It's okay, really. You know what, I might have something to help you. I'll be right back." Sierra dried her eyes and blew her nose and watched her walk out and close the door. She returned a few minutes later with a small glass bottle and a ceramic mug of water and sat down next to Sierra again. She dispensed a small pill into her paw. "Sleeping can be hard when you're under extreme stress, and I know that firsthand, not just from those I help. This a sleeping pill that will knock you out in three minutes so you can get a good nine to ten hours of sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow," she placed the pill into Sierra's paw. She hesitated, then took the pill and drank the water from the mug.

"Thank you." She paused. "Why are you so nice to me, a traitor?"

"Damien would have wanted it." With that Bamforth left, and Sierra laid down on her cot with a small, mournful smile before drifting off to sleep.

"So, Miss Hardingson, are we going to be cooperative today or will there continue to be issues?"

"No, there will not be issues."

"Good. Let's start off with an easy question. Where do you get your sources for your weapons reports?"

"I use the wide variety of books in the Brightvale University Library and sometimes the Neopia Central public library. I've also referred to resources at the Defenders of Neopia, depending on the specific subject matter I'm writing about."

"Let's remember that you willingly submitted your article to the Neopian Times. Why?"

"Because I knew that it would cause issues for you since you need it so badly. I remember having a conversation with Norheim and him telling me that having exclusive access is one of the keys to your success. If I allowed everyone to have access to it, then it would no longer be helpful for you."

"I see. So you decided that was the time to blow your cover?"

"I had received hints that people were beginning to get suspicious of me, especially when Norheim assigned Damien and me to help look for the spy. That's when I first realized."

"Were you aware of the consequences that traitors faced when you joined?"

"I believe I had a vague awareness, but I didn't think it would be this bad."

"How so?"

_She better not not be going where I think she is with this and hurt anyone else._ "Multi-day interrogations, physically and psychologically tearing me apart, piece by piece, until you think there's nothing left except the inner truth and a destroyed creature?" Spite built up in her voice with every word. Her mind raced. "You already know the truth, why are you interrogating me? To see if I lie to save face and then you have incentive to tear me apart anymore?" _No no she can't hurt anyone Lily Zane Tyler Isobel I can't let her._

"Miss Hardingson, I will not have you speak to me in such a manner-"

_I gotta stop her. How?_ "You know what? No matter how hard you try, you won't completely destroy my spirit. There's just enough fight in me left to keep me going. You can't take that away from me, no one can." _I must stop her._

"Mister Valius is gone. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

She bit her lip to deter the tears threatening to fall. _I can stop her. _"I... I want a deal," she blurted, trying to keep her cool.

The Duchess cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of a deal?"

_Revenge? Think, Sierra, think._ "I'll fight you in the Battledome, with our usual weapons. If I win, then I shall be able to return home unharmed, and with everyone that I care about unharmed. I won't say a word about the interrogation or anything, I'll just return to normal life."

"And if I win?" she inquired.

"Then... you can do whatever you want with me. Just whatever you do, don't hurt my family, my friends, anyone I care about."

"You have a deal."

They cautiously shook to seal the deal, and the guards returned her to her cell. They murmured among themselves at the proposition of them fighting. They closed the door behind her, and she heard someone coughing loudly then promptly being shushed. She peered through the bars suspiciously, then shook her head and walked back to her cot and ate the meal waiting for her on it. She unfolded the small, black cloth on the tray to find a white pill identical to the one she took yesterday and a note signifying who it was from. She inspected the pill, took it with some water, set the tray aside, and laid down on the cot. _What did I get myself into?_ She stared at the ceiling trying to answer her own question, her mind swimming and her thoughts twisting into incoherent, tangled messes. She curled up and quickly fell asleep, silently thanking Bamforth once again.

"Sierra? Sierra!" The hoarse, low voice that woke her suddenly sounded so familiar, but she struggled to figure out who it belonged to. One of the guards attempted to shush the voice, but it paid no attention. She trembled and wiped the dried tears from her face as the memory of a horrific nightmare returned, then slowly faded away. She tried to steady her breathing but failed. The voice called out to her again, and she noticed it was weak yet determined.

"Sierra?"

Her eyes widened. _Don't be ridiculous, you're just hearing things. It's a figment of your imagination, no one's really there._ Part of her wanted to listen to the nagging voice in her head that wasn't her own, part of her wanted to shove it aside.

"Sierra, if you can hear me, if you're there, please say something." She slowly walked to the center of the cell, shaking again.

"...Damien?"


	11. Part 10

"Sierra!"

"Damien... are you really there? You... you..." She clung to the door, climbing on it as best as she could to see out into hallway and the other cells better. All the ones she could see were empty. Tears threatened to flood her eyes.

"I'm here!" She tried to follow where his voice was coming from, but the way it echoed off the stone walls only confused her more. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the very end of the hallway, where are you?"

"I think I'm in the middle of the hallway, but I can't tell. I can't see you!"

"I can't see you either. I heard you screaming, and then you stopped when I called out to you."

"I thought... I thought..." _You've gone completely nuts, Sierra. He's not there. He's never coming back._ "...Am I really hearing you?"

"You're not crazy, Sierra, if that's what you're trying to figure ou-"

"Quit it, you two!" The guard said exasperatedly, not looking at them.

_You must be dreaming, Sierra. This isn't real._ She fought the thoughts to the corners of her mind, swiping at the air. The air shimmered in a small patch in front of her, and small patches of light danced on her arms. She screamed in terror. It felt like dozens of Spyders crawling on her, and she clawed at the circles. "No! No!" She staggered to the center of the cell again and slowly spun in a circle, desperately trying to get the light circles off of her.

"Excuse me?" The guard cocked an eyebrow, obviously peeved.

"No, get it off! Get it off get it off!" She spun faster and faster until she dizzily collapsed. The air shimmered again and the light circles faded away. "Damien, are you still there?" Her voice was weak and high pitched.

"I'm still here, Sierra. Are you okay?"

"I'm going insane. I am insane." Her breathy voice wavered.

"It's okay, Sierra, it's okay. As long as you stay calm you'll be okay."

"How do I know you're real?"

He hesitated as if the question confused him. "...Well, I know that I'm real, but I don't think that's any help for you."

"No."

He paused again. "Sir?"

'What is it, Valius?" The guard at his cell asked gruffly.

"Is it possible for me to see another prisoner? I promise that I won't try to pull any tricks or anything like that."

The guard laughed. "Why on Neopia would you want to do that?"

"My friend Sierra Hardingson is over there. You heard our conversation, everyone in here has. I just want to show her that I'm real, that she's not going crazy. Please, sir?"

"Hm..." The guards looked at each other, not seeming convinced.

"Please, sir, I beg of you! If you had a friend who thought he or she was going crazy but didn't know why but you knew that you needed to comfort him or her, wouldn't you do that? She's helped me so many times, surely I should be allowed to repay her." His voice shook.

Sierra stumbled back, feeling like she had been stabbed with a knife. _He doesn't know why...?_ "Please, sir. Please," she croaked.

The guards hesitated, then one of them sighed. "Fine, then. Just make sure we can hear everything you're saying." Sierra heard his cell doors unlock and creak open loudly, then a pair of even footsteps along with a pair of uneven ones. Damien appeared by the door with the cell guard. Sierra was frozen in place at the sight of him, a single tear streaming down her cheek. His mane was dull and matted, and his right eye was swollen. He had off-white bandages wrapped around one side of his head and around his paws so only his fingers were visible. His sweatshirt was torn up the sleeves and around the collar. His black jeans had holes in both knees, and one leg was ripped at the cuff, momentarily revealing a blue brace. Once her cell was unlocked, Damien half limped, half tripped into her cell. Both of them stood there for a moment, then Sierra let out a part sob, part shout of disbelief and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Oh my Fyora oh my Fyora oh my Fyora, Damien..." She buried her face in his sweatshirt and listened to his steady heartbeat. _If I can hear that and I can feel him hugging me back, then he has to be real. He has to._ His grip loosened a little and their balance shifted. "Can we sit?"

"Of course." They broke the hug and sank to the ground next to each other.

"How did you get like that?" Sierra's voice cracked unexpectedly.

"I... I got into a fight."

"About what?"

"I don't remember."

"What do you mean, you don't remember?"

"I just don't remember. I barely remember getting into the fight at all." He paused. "Why are we here? We didn't do anything wrong that I remember." He looked down at his fingers. "...I'm not wearing my ring anymore..." he looked at Sierra's paws sitting in her lap. "...And you aren't either." His expression contorted into frustrated confusion. "What happened?"

"You don't remember anything, do you?" Sierra's eyes widened. A sharp pang shot through her like she'd been punched in the stomach.

He solemnly shook his head. "I remember you, though. I remember... some things. Like I remember that I sit by you in our History class, that you're really good at writing analytical papers, that you're a battle strategist. Things like that. Some places there are big holes, like air bubbles in cheese. I just don't know what happened."

"You don't remember what we found out that landed us here?"

"What did we find out?" One of the guards turned around and gave Sierra a death glare at Damien's question.

"Judging by the way one of the guards looked at me, we'll probably both be dead for real if I tell you."

"Oh... Waitaminute, did you say, for real? Someone tried to kill you?"

"No, you."

"Oh..." His breath caught, and he blinked rapidly.

"What do you remember?"

"I remember working for them, I remember being designated as your partner, I remember a search for a spy, I remember decoding hundreds of letters but I can't remember what any of them said. I remember you offering to help me search for my sister and being at the battleground. I remember... something about you and the Thieves Guild and something about one of your research papers. I remember being on a mission somewhere and you helped me when I hit my head on something in the dungeons. We escaped, then we travelled back to Neovia. I remember everything that happened, but I just don't remember why for almost all of it. I don't know why we argued on the way back and you ran away, why we found each other again and went on the run, why we're here... We must have done something wrong if we're here, but I don't know what."

"I'm the spy we were supposed to be searching for. I was here spying for the Seekers, and when I found out everything and I told you you decided to help me." She briefly continued to fill in the holes for him, only leaving out the parts that could get them in trouble.

"...Oh." Damien blinked. His reaction surprised her: he wasn't angry or upset at her, just confused.

"Are you starting to remember?"

"I don't know." He paused. "They must have interrogated us, then."

"They took you during mine and... They made me think..." She sniffled and shook her head violently. Her voice trembled, tears threatening to fall again. "... Made me think they killed you..."

"Hey, hey. I'm here now. They didn't really." He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder.

Sierra blinked away tears, then her eyes widened. "Selective memory wipe," she blurted.

"You think that's what happened?"

She sat up. "Yeah. That's got to be it. They somehow erased your memory of everything that reveals something about the Sway that could potentially come back and bite them."

"How would they do that?"

"A potion mixed into a drink or food, maybe? I don't know. That doesn't explain why my memory wasn't wiped, too. I'm the more dangerous in their eyes." She cocked her head in thought.

"How many days did your interrogation last?"

"Two... Wait. Wait. Bamforth led me back here after the incident and gave me a sleeping aid so I could be rested for the interrogation, and she gave me another one last night. Maybe..."

"Maybe what? Do you think the sleep aid had anything to do with it?"

"Possibly. I remember Gyro once told me that sometimes when two different medicines are taken at the same time, they react differently in the body than how they would alone and oftentimes one deactivates the other, like grapefruit does with some medicines."

"That makes sense. Who's Gyro?"

"One of the organic chemists I work with, also known as Assistant Scientist during the skirmishes."

"Okay." He paused in thought. "I still don't understand why they'd want to wipe our memories though, selective or not."

"What we know makes us extremely dangerous to them. If anyone else knew as well, it could mean all of the Duchess' plans would fail and the entire league would collapse. That's why don't want us to remember." She lowered her voice. "This isn't the first time this has happened to agents who they think have betrayed them in some fashion. I've heard that they can make them just... disappear. Vanish and never be heard from again."

"Do you think they kill them?"

"Maybe, but..." She slouched and stared at the wall across from her. "Why didn't they kill us?" Her voice wavered, suddenly a whisper.

"Ulterior motives, maybe?" Damien offered.

"Probably, that's usually why they do most things." She paused for a moment, then the air in front of her shimmered again. She reached out towards it, curious.

"What is it?"

"I see... the air's shimmering again. And little light circles are dancing around in the air and the wa- nonono not again make it stop!" The circles creeped closer towards her, and two brushed her arms. Instead of crawling Spyders it felt like she was being burnt, and she screamed. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him.

"They're messing with you. Close your eyes and look away." The words tumbled out of his mouth, his concerned expression suddenly turning quizzical immediately after he spoke. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his sweatshirt, her breath shaky. She found, to her surprise, that she couldn't feel the burning light circles. After a moment, she opened her eyes and tentatively looked up at him. He blinked at her in confusion.

"How do you know that?"

"I... I don't. I don't know how."

"You're starting to remember?"

"I must be, a little."

"I still think I'm going crazy, though."

"No, you're not."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Sierra sat up properly again. A comfortable silence fell between them, but after a moment she felt on edge. _Should I tell him?_ She turned away from him and looked out the cell door, the dim candlelight still flickering yet never fading.

"What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "There's something I have to tell you," she whispered.

"Go on, then."

"I made a deal with her."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to fight her in the Battledome. If I win, I get to go free, and if I lose she can do whatever she wants with me."

Damien stared at her in shock, his eyes wide. "Are you crazy, Sierra? You don-"

"Actually, yes, I am," she retorted.

"You know what I mean! She's so much stronger than you. Probably the only reason she accepted it is because the odds are so much in her favor! You won't stand a chan-"

_"I thought she killed you!_ I couldn't let her hurt anyone else I care about, something she otherwise would have done freely! What else could I do?" She glared at him, furious.

He blinked at her and looked away without responding. He stared at his bandaged paws.

Sierra buried her face in her paws. "I'm sorry."

"No. It's okay," he replied abruptly, still not looking at her.

"Seriously. Normally I'm not like this. You know that. I just sort of... snapped. I'm sorry, really."

He turned to her after a moment, and looked at her with sympathy when their eyes met.

"Come here," he hugged her.

"Why are you so good to me?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you always so nice to me and there for me even after all the garbage I put you through and wrecked your life even though I didn't mean to?"

"Well, why were you nice to me and tried to get to know me even though I was a complete jerk when I first met you? Why did you work so hard to help me find my sister?"

"Because you're my friend, and I wanted to be your friend then."

"There's your answer." He paused. "Win for me?"

"Huh?"

"Please win that battle, for me."

She nodded. "I'll win. I can do it. I promise."


	12. Part 11

p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;"he muffled cheers from the small crowd that had gathered to watch her and the Duchess fight emanated from the walls, and grew increasingly louder as the podium lifted Sierra up out of the preparation zone to reveal her in the Central Arena. She took a deep breath, slowly stepping out of the shadows on the dusty, fake wood floor, walking closer to the red and golden emblem in the middle. Her family, friends, and fellow Seekers sat on one side of the bleachers in the first few rows, and many Sway members dressed entirely in black on the other. Her weapons emerged in a neat pile behind her, and the Sway crowd cheered again as the Duchess emerged on her podium. She stood there as her weapons emerged behind her as well, and turned around and began sorting through her weapons./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Sierra ducked down behind her pile of weapons. emThe battle hasn't started yet; what is she doing?/em She searched for Damien in the crowd of her supporters, and her eyes locked with his. He glanced down at the Duchess, then looked at her again, mouthing something. She could barely read his lips. emPotion? What does that mean...?/em She saw a sparkling, rainbow potion sitting on one side. emThe strength degree potion - oh no!/em She suddenly realized they hadn't discussed what strength degree the Duchess would use, and she would most likely try to drink the whole thing, giving her 450 health points instead of the standard 225. emNot if I can help it!/emShe scanned her weapons collection, and she discreetly pulled out her Bow of the Fire Faerie. She knelt on one knee, and aimed at the bottle. She pulled back on the fiery string, and a stream of fire emerged where an arrow would be./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" The Duchess, not noticing her, knelt down and picked up the bottle. Sierra kept her aim locked on the bottle as the Duchess lifted it and stood up fully. Sierra fired, and the arrow shot straight at the bottle, quickly engulfing it in flames. The Duchess reflexively dropped it, and the flaming glass bottle shattered to the ground, the rainbow contents disappearing into a puff of grey smoke. She whirled around, and glared at the Xweetok icily./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Let the battle begin," Sierra whispered, placing her Sophie's Magic Hat on her head and emerging from her hiding spot behind her weapons. She fired several more arrows, the Duchess merely blinking as they hit her. The Duchess took out her Scroll of the Wise and read from it, and the air shimmered off of the scroll. The shimmer rose, turned translucent white and pale green and rushed towards her. Sierra gritted her teeth and braced herself as the attack hit her, feeling the hat deflect some of it. She picked up her bow and fired two more arrows at as the Duchess picked up a Seti Hilt Sword, then calmly walked toward her. Sierra fired another arrow at point blank range before the Duchess knocked it abruptly out of her paws and slashed at her with her sword. Sierra did her best to dodge it and ended up backing up in a circle, but winced each time it hit her./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Well, someone's a little mad at me," she managed to say. "If you're not gonna play nicely, I won't either." She did a backwards somersault, kicking the sword out of the Lenny's hands, reached up to the ceiling on one knee and hurled a giant icicle at her. The Duchess held out her hands towards her, clenched them into fists and flicked her hands open, shooting a stream of fire at her. Sierra grunted and stepped back, then retreated behind her weapons. The green, glowing numbers on her wristband face stuck to the sleeve of her fitted, black jumpsuit read 184 HP then blurred for a second to read 108 HP. She curled her lip at it, then looked up at the hologram scoreboard in front of her. The Duchess' HP read 174./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Okay... What next, what next." She scanned her available collection. She kept her hat on and replaced her bow with her Brynn's Sword. She stepped out from her weapons, quietly stepped out into the arena while the Duchess had her back turned, then charged as soon as she turned around. The Duchess flicked her Black Fan of Shenkuu a couple of times, sending a surge of air towards Sierra that threatened to make her stumble and stung her wounds. She swung her sword at the Duchess, keeping a stable stance. In the, air fire tendrils from the rest of the Sear ability appeared and Sierra cringed as they burned her jumpsuit and her fur./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "You might want to rethink your viewpoint that it's all just a game, because once we're finished it'll be game over for you!" she declared in between swings. emIf I make her mad enough, maybe she'll be distracted enough to make a bad decision!/em/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "You know you don't stand a chance against me. I have toppled empires. You don't quite compare." The Duchess pulled out her Rainbow Swirly Thing and reflected her light attack back at her, blinding her for a moment but didn't stop her injuring blows. Sierra blinked and shook her head./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh, really now? Then how is it you're being so defensive in your approach?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I am making calculated decisions-"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh, is the great Duchess emafraid/em of me? The one who could quite easily send your organization crashing down with what I know?" She mocked, grinning sarcastically. "Well, I don't blame you." She vaguely heard the crowd on her side of the arena laugh./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "You have no idea what I'm capable of."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Um, yeah, I do actually have a very good idea. That selective wipe potion you had put in my lunch didn't work because something else interfered with it. Ha, looks like you're outta luck!" She took one more final swing at her and then shot another icicle at her. The Duchess sliced her fan through the air, but only glared at her in response before calmly returning to her weapons./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" emHuh, it worked. She forgot to use an ability./em Sierra smirked as she returned to her own weapons. She hid a slight stumble as pain suddenly shot up her side. emThat can't be good./em She inspected her side before glancing at her wristband, which now read 81 HP. emI'd better use my healer now; she might try to wipe me out if I don't and stay defensive./em She pulled out one of her Brain Muffins and her Greater Healing Scroll. She muttered a spell under her breath as she stepped out into the arena. The Xweetok turned to face the Duchess, and upon saying the final word a burst of light exploded around the Duchess and blinded her, keeping her from seeing her weapons. Sierra hurled her muffin at her and watched it explode before reading from her healing scroll. She breathed deeply as relief washed over her and her HP meter now read 131./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Hey, look! My health is higher than yours now! You didn't think that was possible, did you? Ha!" she taunted, smirking. She pulled out her Brynn's Sword again once she returned to her weapons./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" emHmm... Downsize or Shade? I probably shouldn't use both at the same time./em She took out her Brynn's Sword again and a small, opaque green bottle with a green Bruce sticker on it and drank a few drops while reading the text on the side before getting back into the arena. The Duchess twirled her Battle Quill in one hand while gripping her Seti Hilt Sword in the other. Their swords clashed, letting out harsh, metallic rings. Sierra stayed on her toes, her sword becoming heavy in her hand as she blocked and returned the Duchess's light blows. She found a small blip in her rhythmic movements, and she blocked a blow then swung at her hard, knocking the sword out of the Lenny's hands. While she backed up to pick it up, Sierra felt her muscles tingle and the floor slowly, then suddenly, get closer to her as she Downsized. The Duchess whirled around and attempted to attack her with her quill but she missed./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Hey, down here! Betcha weren't expecting this!" Sierra quickly swung her sword at her. "And I bet you thought you could predict everything!"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" The Duchess could no longer use the patterns with her sword as she did before, but still swung and sliced at her the best she could. "In the end, everything shall go according to plan. A mere annoyance such as you won't stand in my way." She switched to using her Battle Quill./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I may be just a little p-three buzzing around in your ear now, but just you wait. You should consider yourself lucky that I'm not shouting everything I know right this minute." She crouched to avoid a blow, then swung her sword upward as she sprung up. "Why shouldn't I? I bet everyone who works for you is simply dying to know what all of those missions are really for, and why you've been manipulating every single event that has occurred in Neopia... oh, wait, then you'd have to kill them all. You just can't stand having your power threatened, do you? I'm sure that's much more than a little pet peeve." She swung again, then rose up one arm to summon an icicle./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" The Duchess charged at her as the Xweetok grew back to her former size, stabbed her between her shoulder and her neck with the quill and held up a feathered finger to her beak. "Shhhhh." Sierra gritted her teeth to suppress a scream. She found that she was unable to use her ability, so she ran back to her collection of weapons, clutching the side of her neck. She gently cleaned her wounds with a rag, and pressed it against the base of her neck. She glanced at her HP meter, and was reminded of the dull pain as it read 98 HP in yellow. She put her Sophie's Hat back on and kept her sword, planning on using Shade as an extra line of defense. She returned and was about to charge when she involuntarily stopped in her ?/em/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" She turned to face the Duchess to see that she was reading from a scroll. When she turned around she saw the blue scroll and a thick layer of ice started to form around her feet and the surrounding ground. emNo, a freezing scroll!/em The ice travelled up her legs until it covered her entire body and her sword up to her neck. The ice thinned a little but didn't stop traveling, and small holes formed around her mouth and nose so she could breathe and around her eyes. The ice clouded her vision a little, and she scanned the audience, not wanting to see what damage the Duchess was doing in her immobilized state. She couldn't even grimace as pain shot through her entire body from the Duchess's dark attack from her Jhudora's Bewitched Ring. Her eyes fell to Damien, who was sitting in one of the middle rows closest to her side of the arena on her right. He was sitting half out of his chair, clutching the armrests, with a horrified look on his face./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" The ice melted away allowing her to move again after several minutes, but the pain didn't subside. She made her way back to her weapons and sat down behind them. She looked at her HP meter, and it read 35 HP in red numbers. She looked up at the hologram scoreboard to see the Duchess' HP at 53. emDear Fyora./em A hoarse sigh escaped her lips. emThere's no way I can win this.../em She wiped off her wounds with the rag again then wiped off the blade of her sword with weak, shaky paws. She set it in her lap then picked up her second Brain Muffin, tossed up in the air a short distance then barely managed to catch it when it fell./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Sierra looked up at Damien again and her gaze locked with his. "You can do this," he mouthed. She searched for Lily, and she found her sitting next to her owner and Isobel near the front. Lily looked back at her with big, concerned eyes. Isobel looked at her, too and mouthed something that Sierra had a hard time interpreting. emFull... what? Full on, full out...? Full out? Oh, full out attack.../em She looked down at the weapons in her paws. emIf I want to have any chance I don't have a choice, do I? Well, it's worth a shot./em She stood up and walked back out to the arena for the final round. emI have to do this. I can do this. I can't afford to be scared./emShe mustered up some of her remaining strength, stood as far back as she could in front of her weapons collection and hurled the muffin at the Duchess. She walked to the center of the arena as the muffin exploded, her sword at the ready, drawing herself to her full height as best as she could and held her head up high. The Duchess whirled around, looking worse for wear, yet her icy expression never wavered. She whipped out her Seti Hilt Sword with her Jhudora's Bewitched Ring on her finger next to her Sway insignia ring./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "This is it. It's all over for you." Sierra swung her sword at the Lenny before she had time to react and block it. She swung again, but a metallic clang rang out as the Duchess blocked it./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "You foolish child. Do you really think you can win this?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" em"Don't/em call me a child," she spat back, blocking a strike then quickly retaliating with her own. emI can do this. I can./em Their two swords crossed between them, neither of them moving as they pushed against the other's sword with all of their strength. Sierra clutched onto her sword, her arms shaking and threatening to give out. emCome on./em She squinted at the Duchess and gritted her teeth. When she thought she felt the Duchess weakening a little, she pushed back as hard as she could, hoping that it would allow to her to strike. Instead, the Duchess spun her sword around and stabbed her in the abdomen, sending her to the ground. She shrieked in pain, and her head spun. She grabbed her sword lying next to her, then tried to scramble to her feet but the Duchess stood over her with her sword mere inches from her nose. Sierra's heart raced, and she flinched with every breath she took. She felt her consciousness slipping from her. emStay here stay here stay here don't pass out don't pass out you can do this!/em She slowly brought her sword in front of her across her chest and inched back as she sat up. She held her sword in one shaky hand, struggling to keep a firm grip. emAlmost there, then you're free./em She grabbed the sword with both hands, knocked the Duchess' sword out of her hands and swung and stabbed at her. One final blow sent the Duchess stumbling back and to the ground and Sierra's sword slipped out of her hands. emI'm okay. I'm okay now./emEverything faded to black for what seemed like a second, then she opened her eyes to find herself lying on the ground./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" She squinted, desperately trying not to look at her wounds. Pain shot through her entire body in pulses like her heart beating. The Duchess was crumpled on the ground, her face hidden from sight. Her dress was tattered around the edges and her white hair a mess. emWhat just happened?/em She looked up at the hologram scoreboard. She had no health points left, but neither did the Duchess. emA draw? Did it really work?/em A voice appeared from the PA overhead. She heard the sound of something electronic powering down as the magic force fields around the bleachers above the barrier were lowered./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that the match is a draw!" The crowd murmured, their rising voices filled with uncertainty, worry, and anger. She turned towards her supporters, filled with victory. emI didn't win, but at least I didn't lose! But... what happens now?/em She slowly stood up using all of her remaining strength, staggered towards them and managed to muster a grin. She scanned the familiar faces that cheered as they saw her. She spotted Damien and Lily in the crowd as everyone moved to meet them outside of the arena. She smiled towards them and waved, and they smiled back. Damien's focus shifted over her head and his eyes suddenly grew wide. "Behind you!"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" She whirled around, but it was too late. A blur of black zipped towards her, and the black dart lodged itself in her shoulder. More pain shot through her shoulder, and everything blurred around her. Lily's screams and everyone's shouts of alarm and worry echoed and became distant. She panicked, and tried to shout but couldn't make a sound. The arena spun and she began to lose her already unstable footing as Damien, Lily, Katie and Isobel jumped the barrier between the seating and the arena and rushed towards her./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Sierra, are you okay?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "She's been hit with a dart!"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "They're trying to kill her!"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Sierra, please stay with us!"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "No, Sierra, no!"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" She couldn't tell who was saying what. The ground slowly, then suddenly, rushed up to her and she winced as she hit her head on the hard arena floor. All she could see and hear was the fear in their eyes and their voices as their voices faded out. Everything faded to white, then black./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" align="center" ***/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" She opened her eyes to find herself lying in a white hospital bed and covered in bandages around her arms and a few on her face. Both of her legs were in a brace of some sort. She scanned her eyes around the room, vaguely noticing the steady beep of the heart rate monitor. She was no longer wearing her black fighting jumpsuit but a plain T-shirt and athletic shorts. A dull, throbbing ache returned through her whole body and she moaned quietly. She saw Isobel sitting next to her bed, and tried to smile./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Hey." Her voice was breathy and hoarse./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Hey Sierra." Isobel smiled back at her and held her paw. "Are you feeling okay? The paramedics had quite a time getting you here."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I think so, why?" She looked down at her left arm, and scrunched her nose at the sight of the IV. "What's the IV for, anyway?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "They... they tried to block them from leaving the arena with you, then gave them a lot of trouble getting you into the ambulance and taking you from the arena to here. The nurses told us once they got the IV hooked up to you and bandaged you up that you got here just in the nick of time; any later you... well, you know..." Isobel seemed flustered. She stared at her hands in her lap and played with a blue stress ball./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "But what's the IV for?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Sierra," Isobel responded, whispering. "They tried to poison you. The IV has the antidote in it. It's almost done working, then they can get you the healing potions and the pain medicine. Right now they said those would interact with the antidote and make it less effective."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "But... why? Why try to... why?" Sierra's head swam, trying to ignore the pain./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Isobel's sympathetic expression suddenly turned solemn. "I don't know."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "How long was I out?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Four hours."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh my Fyora." Sierra stared at the ceiling, not sure what to make of the news./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" She closed her eyes. "I need to rest a little."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Okay."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" When Sierra woke a few hours later, Isobel was gone but a nurse was in the room preparing something out of her line of sight. The nurse turned around and smiled at her./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "How are you feeling?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Eh, apart from the fact that my entire body hurts and my head still feels a little fuzzy, I'm fine."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "You poor thing," She checked the monitors next to Sierra's bed./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "What are you doing?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "The antidote is all done being administered and working so I'm about to give you the pain medicine and the healing potions. I have to give them to you through the IV since I don't know if you can stomach them. I took off your leg braces while you were still asleep."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Okay." The nurse injected a clear solution into the IV, then got out a different syringe and injected a lavender solution into it. Sierra could feel the relief almost immediately. "Thank you so much."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "No problem." After a few minutes the nurse took out the IV./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "There's someone waiting to see you."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Damien!" She held out her paws towards him as he walked in, behind the leaving nurse. He grabbed her paws, pulled her so she was sitting up and hugged her tightly./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I'm so glad you're alright!" His voice was muffled by her neck ruff./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I am, too." She smiled. "But... What's going to happen now?" Her happiness from seeing him was slowly replaced by gnawing feeling inside./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "What do you mean?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "It was a draw... we didn't... didn't discuss what would happen..." Fear built up inside of her and her breathing became ragged and shaky./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh no..." Damien broke the hug and looked at her, eyes wide. Someone opened the door and they turned to see Lily./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Sierra! Oh my gosh, Sierra!" She ran in and gave her a huge hug./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Lily- ow ow ow Lily-" Sierra gritted her teeth./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Lily pulled away. Dried tear stains glistened on her face. "What's wrong?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Sierra smiled wearily. "I missed you too, but I already had a broken rib and you might break it again if you hug me like that."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh. I'm sorry. Are you okay?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Yeah. I took a healing potion, but everything still hurts a little. I guess it's just taking a while for it to take its full effect."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" They sat there in silence for a moment, before Sierra spoke again. "We're going to have to get out of here soon."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Why?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I... only made a deal with her on the terms of whether I lost or won, but I did neither. I don't know what's going to happen, and I don't think anyone does. We have to get out of here and stay hidden for a while so they can't get to us."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "They might get to us anyway. They have spies everywhere. One of them might spot us and send word back," Damien said./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "But we have to go home and get on with our lives somehow," Lily offered./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "We just have to be prepared, always on the lookout. The Seekers can protect me, and the Order can protect you." She looked at Lily./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "There's no way I can return to the Sway, not after what happened and now that I'm starting to remember things again. They'll kill me for real the instant I set foot back in that mansion."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Sierra turned to face Damien, who was sitting on the edge of the cot. "Then we'll protect you." Their heads whipped around to the door as they heard some unintelligible shouts from outside. "We should go now." Sierra lowered her feet to the floor, and Damien and Lily wrapped an arm around her on each side for support as they walked out the door./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "So, now that all of this is over, how are you guys going to lead normal lives? Isn't that a foreign concept for you?" Lily joked./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" The three of them laughed. "I'm going to start applying to universities and studying for the fast track test," Sierra said./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Fast track?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Well, you know how the minimum high school graduation age in Neopia Central is sixteen and it's eighteen in Brightvale? Well, if I pass the test then I can go to BU at sixteen instead of eighteen."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh, that one. Yeah. I'm going to start sending applications in as well. What about you, Damien?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Well," he began with an ecstatic grin, "I found my sister and I'm going to have lunch with her over the weekend."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Oh my Fyora, that's fantastic!" His grin spread onto the girls' faces./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "I'm so glad you found her! I take it you got the files I left at home?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Yeah, Isobel gave them to me. After neomailing around a bit and picking up where you left off I finally found her. It took my mind off the fact that you were unconscious for several hours."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "That's fantastic."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" They walked off down the street and loaded themselves into a rickshaw where Sierra's family, Lily's owner and Damien's owner were waiting./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" From a darkened alley a red Korbat kept a watchful eye on them. She pressed a button on the side of her wrist hidden by her jacket./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Located all three of them exiting the hospital. They're leaving in the rickshaw now."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Copy that, Agent Alabriss. Where'd you get these Virtu-things, anyway? Were they issued?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "They're from my empersonal/em acquisitions, you idiot."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Sorry. What did they talk about?"/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "University plans and stuff like that, nothing of significance until we know which ones they're going to. I'll send Agent Coda the rickshaw number so he can follow it."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" "Copy that."/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" Agent Alabriss scribbled out a quick message and stamped a simple wax seal in place. A crokabek waiting on the top of the building swooped down, snatched the letter and carried it off. She smirked as she watched the black bird fly out of sight./p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;" emYou think it's over? It never is. Just you wait./em/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;"-/p  
p style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.6667px;"YES. OVER A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER WRITING THIS, I'VE GOT A SEQUEL IN THE WORKS. It'll be a long time before it gets published here and on Neo (if they accept it) but nonetheless, it will be written. I promise./p 


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